Dark Horizon
by Soulfire72
Summary: The Dragon Realms have finally settled into a new age of peace, and Spyro and Cynder begin new lives amongst normal dragons. However, when Spyro and his new friends discover the world's magic being devoured, Spyro's desire for the truth will lead him down a path from which he cannot turn away.
1. In Shade's Grasp

Prelude

In shade's grasp

* * *

_He couldn't see anything. For a moment, his world had gone blank, and he knew not where he was or what he'd been doing just a few seconds ago. Then his world began to come into focus. Pillars of fire were before him, but faded as if strangled by a haze of blood. He blinked, but the darkness would not lift._

What is this? Long spans have I slept, but...

_He then heard a voice, the familiar voice of his vessel. He listened, hoping for some inkling of why he'd been asleep so long._

'... Ignitus! No!'

What?_ If he could have snorted with derision, he would have. He'd never heard such a pathetic, weak cry._

_Another voice, softer, yet firmer, entered his eardrums, and his vision shot backwards to a dark, slim figure with shining emerald eyes. He didn't catch all of what the two said, musing over the name. Ignitus. Memories of his vessel filtered into his mind – sudden and overwhelming. A dragon. The first of its kind the vessel had encountered._

It... can't be... a creature of magic, lost? No... it... can't be! Magic is all that matters! I must have it!

_Forcing his embodiment to move, he smothered the memories with the overriding will of his own, blending with the grief generated by the warm memories. _

It's mine.

_As he rose in place, flapping his large appendages, the shining figure pulled back on something that bound the two bodies. He ground his teeth in frustration at the figure. Who was it to stop him?_

'You can't stop me.'

_The figure was unmoved, staring directly into his eyes. His vision cleared again, and suddenly he recognised the figure. Another dragon - the second his vessel had encountered. His attention was quickly fixated on the energy chain binding them, and the implications of maintaining his tugging away from it._

'You're right. Only you can do that! Please, Spyro... don't do this...'

Spyro.

_The memories of the black creature began to mix in with those of Ignitus, and Spyro's will was strengthening once again. He quickly surmised his entrance into this world ending._

I cannot. This one is another creature of magic. I cannot risk reclaiming one and destroying another in the process. For now, these two must continue...

_He felt his thoughts fading away, his being swallowed up by those of Spyro's returning. He felt a last pang of frustration at this happening so quickly._

When will I glimpse this world... a world of magic... again? I want to know... more...

_If he could have sighed with helplessness, he would have._

* * *

Spyro stirred from his slumber, blinking his eyes and yawning widely, emitting a slight growl. It was too early to wake up, he told himself. _Please, just a few more hours..._

After a couple of minutes, with his wing draped over his face, he quickly gave up the fight of falling asleep. After that dream, he knew he would have a hard time sleeping again before dawn. In fact, he could see tiny rays of light shining through the thin scarlet membrane of his unfurled wing.

_Why was I remembering... that time? I still feel a little guilty for Cynder having to talk me out of it... and... Ignitus..._

Grief threatened to overcome him again, but the recent relief at seeing the world whole again, soaring alongside Cynder, would not allow it. _No. Ignitus did his duty, and I did mine. The best I can do for him is to honour his actions... and sacrifice. He believed in us to the end... Ignitus..._

He let a single tear slide down his cheek before spurring his body to do something. There was a reason he woke up now, and he wanted to find it.

Folding it down and shifting his weight, he quickly felt Cynder's warm flank against his, curled up sleeping against his side. Getting up, he couldn't help but smile down at her warmly. She looked so content that part of him wished, just for a moment, that they'd be able to sleep under the shade of the tree forever. He gave a quick glance to their discarded armour; Cynder's silver rune armour, and his gold steel armour, left on the ground as they decided to rest. Looking up, he craned his neck for a better view of his surroundings.

The Valley of Avalar was subtly lit up by the rising sunlight. The colours of the clear water waxed and waned through the colours of the rainbow, mixing in with the dimmed colours of wildflowers surrounding the bank and rolling plains. He couldn't help but sigh in gratification. He felt it the last time the two of them were here alongside Hunter and Sparx; being surrounded by nature in all its glory couldn't help but put him at ease. Especially in Cynder's presence.

_Ah, Spyro, you are such a fool._

He blinked, surprised at the suddenly cold thought. His wings drooped a little, his thoughts returning to that of Terrador, Cyril and Volteer, along with Sparx and Hunter. He'd nearly allowed himself to forget about them, if only for this one night.

_Would that be so bad? For once, there are no questions, no uncertainty... in this little world under the tree with Cynder. Can't I just enjoy it while it lasts? For once in my life, can't I be selfish?_

Deep in his heart, he knew he would have to return to the rest of the world, and soon. If the others were trapped or otherwise in need of his and Cynder's help, then he needed to be there. Not to mention the other possible ramifications of the world nearly breaking apart.

Thoughts of food quickly shifted into his belly's rumbling, and he decided to find some game before Cynder woke. However, just out from the shade of the tree, he made out an incredible sight glowing in the sky. Nestled amongst the silver stars was a massive spectral figure, glowing a warm orange. It's likeness was that of a dragon, but more serpent-like with two regal wings on either side, proportionally larger than any dragon's Spyro had seen before. He could only stare back into its silver eyes in awe, jaw agape.

_Who is... that? Or is that anyone at all?_

The thoughts of game vanished, and Spyro was at Cynder's side, nudging her cheek gently with his muzzle.

'Cynder...' he whispered gently. 'Come on, you have to see this.'

The black dragoness opened her eyes slowly, gazing up at Spyro drearily. She became curious as she saw the somewhat childish grin adorning his muzzle.

'It's still... so dark, Spyro. What's got you all worked up?'

Spyro just jerked his head back wordlessly, prompting her to get up and follow him a few steps. They both looked up at the silhouette. She couldn't help but smile at the sight herself.

'Wow. Just... wow.'

They stood there together in revered silence for a few minutes. Then Spyro spoke up.

'Who do you think it is?'

Cynder paused thoughtfully as she lowered her head.

'It doesn't look like any dragon we've seen. Maybe... maybe it's one of the Ancestors, acknowledging us? Or...' She chose her next words carefully. 'It could be Ignitus... telling us he's... proud of us.'

Spyro's gaze didn't falter, but his voice wavered a little. 'Both sound fine to me. I hope... Ignitus knows how much he'll be missed.'

Cynder inched closer to him, gently nuzzling his neck. 'He will be.'

Spyro returned the gesture against her cheek. They both closed their eyes, and for one more moment, they were the only two under the spectre's gaze.


	2. A Rude Awakening

**A/N**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Since this is my first Spyro fic, I'd really appreciate any feedback whatsoever - from the positive to not-so-positive, even to the extremely negative. It would really help to know about my mistakes at this stage at the beginning, rather than well into the next story maybe a year down the track like last time...**

**This story was born after a couple of years of reflection. The LoS series really brought Spyro's world to life, in my opinion - I'll always remember the originals as kids, hell the first I still find enjoyable even today! But then it kinda derailed a little with the sequels, but they were still fun. But I found the characters and the world of LoS far more engaging, and it moved me in a way few games can. This is for LoS.**

**I've gotten a few questions about when the plot goes into full gear... I'm aiming to have two halves to this story. The first focuses on building the world, characters and will have slice of life elements to it, with a few plot points mixed in. The second half (marked by a significant time skip) will then go deeper into the plot.**

**My one and only disclaimer: I don't own The LoS franchise, though who owns it now is anyone's guess... (shakes fist at Skylanders)... Activision I suppose? I do own my own OCs, obviously.**

* * *

Chapter 1

A Rude Awakening

* * *

Sparx woke to the cries of an infant mole, piercing the comfortable silence to sting his ears. He sighed inwardly; the time for rest was over.

_Great... now for another long march back to Warfang..._

The gold dragonfly spread his beating wings from the small rocky outcrop he slept on, not far within a large cavern – where a large group of moles, cheetahs and dragons had taken refuge. The evening before, after a long series of quakes and crumbling earth, all species alike held their breaths as Spyro and Cynder clashed with Malefor from the floating temple up above. For what seemed like hours, the threat of the cavern collapsing on top of them loomed. When the moles in particular began to debate going outside, Hunter was quick to remind them that the outside land was becoming even more unstable than the cavern within. Sparx remembered the warrior cat's grim expression as they awaited the news after he scouted it out.

_'There's nowhere left to run. I can see blocks of land giving way to the fire beneath. We will stay inside, for good or ill. All we can do is pray to Ancestors past, and trust in those three who went on without us.'_

Sparx remembered the panic that spread through the crowd. He couldn't but grin for a moment, as he knew exactly what to do, projecting his disproportionately firm voice echoing through the crowd.

_'What'cha all worrying about? You heard the cat. So... isn't it obvious? Trust them. Spyro may be big, purple and overweight, but he's my brother - and he's never let me down. I know he and Cynder can do it.'_

Though the anxiety didn't entirely dissipate, they knew he told the truth. Their lives were in the hands of his brother and Cynder - and they delivered, as the rumbling eventually stopped outside.

They were greeted by thick beams of sunlight in their eyes, instead of the glowing red heat of rising magma like Hunter had described. Once the glare had subsided, Sparx rose out of the cavern alongside Hunter, gazing over the landscape. It was different, he gave it that. When they came, the lava was rising to the point where the grass shrivelled at the cliff's edges. Now... the land was broken up into large pieces, still floating and upheld by magic, leaving a light fog drifting below their feet. But there was so much green now, as if the rising lava hadn't been there at all. He could feel the pleasant, natural air currents returning. And Sparx knew; the land had been damaged, but it was very much alive.

_Thanks, bro. I think I owe you a sandwich! No, scratch that, I owe you a salad. The nicest salad ever made, if I can get my hands on it..._

Sparx groaned as he snapped back to the present. Hunter, leaning against a nearby rock face, jerked awake with a start at the echoing cries, as several others around them began stirring, with some annoyed purring from the cheetahs, the instinctive chatter of moles, and several thrums from dragon's throats.

Grinning cheekily, Sparx buzzed on over to hover beside Hunter's face, to which he received a thinly masked smile.

'Sleeping on the job, are we Hunter?'

The cheetah only snorted stiffly, instinctively rubbing an eye. 'Of course not. I was... resting my eyes.'

'Yeah? Well, two can play at that game.'

Hunter visibly groaned when the dragonfly flew to the top of his head, deftly grabbing the dragonfly's abdomen before he could settle down for a snooze.

'Up, you lazy dragonfly. There's work to be done.'

Sparx opened his eyes flatly. 'There's always work to be done.'

Hunter rolled his eyes fondly. Despite all of Sparx's complaining the past few days, he was ever grateful to the dragonfly. Many following citizens may have given up from exhaustion had Sparx not been there to buzz annoyingly into their ears, urging them to keep going with not-so-subtle insults. While unorthodox, he'd done wonders at keeping everyone together and alive. He looked over at the cave entrance as the dawn's light filtered through.

'It is time for us to all go home.' _Provided there is still a home to return to... _He nodded firmly. 'Rally them like you know how, Sparx.'

Sparx looked a little insulted, but shrugged as Hunter let him turn around in mid-air, before cupping his hands around his mouth.

'Hey sleepy-heads! Get off your lazy butts! I'm itching for a good meal right about now, but the way you guys sleep you might as well have had ten already!'

Hunter smirked despite himself as most people stood up piously, some cheetahs shaking their weapons at the dragonfly angrily while some dragons only groaned in response.

'_You're_ a butt!' One elderly mole retorted at their feet. 'I swear, if we didn't need your light...'

'But you do. Don't you?'

He was answered with a _harrumph_ as the elder followed his fellow moles out the wide entrance, along with a few awed murmurs before some dragons and cheetahs shoved the column forward in annoyance. The dragons brought up the rear, seemingly finding it the most difficult to move despite Sparx's indignations. Hunter was somewhat surprised when the three Guardians were equally dreary-eyed as the other dragons.

'Oh great...' Sparx palmed his face jokingly. 'You guys couldn't have slept long enough to be left behind? Especially you, Volteer.'

The bright yellow dragon only stared down at him with genuine surprise. 'Surely you don't mean to say I'm an overburdened sleeper, Sparx? I supposed I was a rather light-'

Cyril gave his friend a light smirk. 'Of course he doesn't, cloud-brain.'

Volteer blinked rapidly. 'Oh yes. I was just surprised, since Sparx is ever so fond of slumbering on our heads and–'

'That's enough, you two.' Terrador boomed lowly as Sparx began to look sickly at Volteer's voice. The muscled earth dragon stepped forward confidently after the large crowd of citizens, sparing a glance at Hunter. 'You all heard Hunter. We've still got work to do, and as Guardians, many will look to us for leadership. It will only get harder in Ignitus' absence... but for now, we can thank the Ancestors that he, Spyro and Cynder succeeded.'

With a grim but firm nod, the group of dragons, dragonfly and cheetah joined the column as they began their short trek towards Warfang.

* * *

The trip began smoothly enough; arguments over rations were minimal as the cheetahs were well-disciplined and used to hunger, the moles had plenty of plants and berries to eat on the way, and the dragons... well, Sparx assumed they were just so grateful to be alive that they wouldn't mind a day or two without meat. As the column settled in an improvised mass camp by the river's side under the shade of a great tree, some dragons took to the scattered energy crystals throughout the valley, while Prowlus led some cheetahs and Terrador away, volunteering themselves to seek some food as the others rested. Hunter also volunteered to join them, but he'd taken more than a few night watches himself already, and quickly accepted Prowlus' insistence that he stay behind.

'You'd be more useful here in case of grublins,' Prowlus had retorted. 'In your current state, I'd be surprised if we caught anything at all.'

Blunt, but accurate, Hunter had decided. It was probably too much to hope that the grublins had been eradicated in the wake of the world break, and given their size they might have some scattered nests still lying about, even in Avalar.

He and the remaining Guardians had taken sentry points surrounding the surviving group. As he glanced over the wide green plain, Hunter inwardly hoped that all the groups sent out under the protection of other dragons and cheetah warriors would return to Warfang safe and sound.

_But first, we have to get there._

His sharp eyes wandered the skies, as if expecting a message from darkening sky. He sighed when, for what seemed the hundredth time, there was nothing. Instead, his eyes wandered over to the other two guardians, who had kept themselves alternately awake. On opposite sides around the camp, they would sleep for two hours; then send an elemental signal to the others when the period was up. It wouldn't be long before Hunter used his own: Sparx in the palm of his paw. Looking for his glowing companion, Hunter saw Sparx a fair distance away, alone on the surface of a grey rock, staring up at the sky. The cheetah instantly knew what he was thinking about, as the dragonfly was usually upbeat and full of energy. Moving stealthily, he quickly came to kneel beside him.

'Worried about them, Sparx?'

His murmur didn't even startle him. Sparx had quickly gotten used to the silent hellos and goodbyes of his cheetah friend.

'Hey, Hunter. Yeah, I kinda lost myself in the stars up there, when... did you catch it? Last night?'

The image of the glowing dragon silhouette filled Hunter's mind for a moment. 'I did.'

'That means they're fine... right?'

'I like to think so, yes.'

'Them dragons.' Sparx suddenly found himself musing. 'Strange that they seem to think the world revolves around them. 'Cause it kinda does.'

Hunter raised a furry brow inquisitively. 'You sound oddly bitter. That's quite unlike you, my friend.'

Sparx bowed his head. 'It's just... when Spyro, Cynder and Ignitus left for the Belt of Fire, I... I felt so helpless. It was so obvious to everyone, including me, that I wasn't anything but an annoyance that would get in the way. I know they cared about me, and they were right to leave me behind. But... it was the first time Spyro actually did. Not when we dove into the Dark Portal thing, or into the scary ugly-ape fortress, and last but not least – into the Well of Souls... no matter what, I'll always be a dragonfly, while Spyro will always be a dragon.'

Hunter nodded his head, moving down into a sitting position. 'You're concerned Spyro's got too much of a load on his shoulders?'

'...yeah.'

Hunter shook his head and smiled. 'You won't have to worry about that for much longer. Cynder promised to take care of him, correct? And you trust her?'

Sparx answered instantly. 'I do.'

'Then be at ease, my friend. What you've done for us here is beyond words. Many of these people here owe you their lives.'

The dragonfly looked at him warily and scoffed. 'C'mon, don't pull my wings, Hunter.'

'I mean it, Sparx.'

Sparx eyed him suspiciously for a moment, as if figuring him out, before submitting with a wave of his hand. 'Eh, fine, I can never read that poker face of yours anyhow.'

Hunter simply nodded in agreement with a slight smile, prompting Sparx to groan. Then Hunter's eyes shot upwards.

'What?' Sparx mumbled suspiciously. 'Another one of those Wyvern things coming to kill us all?'

'Not at all.'

Hunter raised his right arm to a horizontal position, while Sparx watched apathetically. Until he heard a loud squawk, as his own eyes shot upwards.

'Aagh!'

He ducked and dashed behind Hunter as a large falcon swooped down with its claws outstretched, swooping down to land on Hunter's arm, Sparx staring at it in terror. It had a golden breast and a sleek, soil-brown overcoat. Sparx' eyes dashed between them before they narrowed accusingly, as the falcon eyed him hungrily.

'You did that on purpose!'

Hunter chuckled as he stroked the falcon's head, earning a warm nuzzle in response. 'Relax. Talon knows a real meal when he sees one.'

_Great. Spyro can kick butt despite being big, but I'm too skinny to be even a bird's meal. Figures._

'You gave that thing a name?' Sparx spouted indignantly. 'He wants to eat me! Stop looking at me...'

Talon ruffled his feathers, and looking up at Hunter, emitted a number of low squawks in quick succession, which earned him a wide smile from Hunter.

'Good news, at least. He says the other three groups out there are faring well and are nearing Warfang as we speak.'

His fear of the avian suddenly gone, Sparx buzzed up and looked Talon in one of the bird's beady black eyes. 'Hey! What about Spyro? Cynder? Ignitus?'

Hunter's face fell a little as Talon was silent. 'I'm sorry, Sparx. He hasn't seen them. But if it helps, I only sent him over the southern lands. They went north into the Belt of Fire, so he wasn't in their path to Warfang.'

Sparx' shoulders slumped. 'Thanks for nothing, bird-brain.'

Talon emitted a sudden piercing shriek that made Sparx jump back a few feet. Hunter only nodded as if to say "tsk, tsk."

'You shouldn't insult a Great Falcon, Sparx. They are naturally proud creatures, and rightfully so. Their intelligence is unmatched among birds of prey, so I'm afraid your insult rings hollow.' He raised a paw to his chin thoughtfully. 'Speaking of which – would you be interested to know how the cheetahs and falcons found each other?'

Sparx shook his head, still wide-eyed with fear, but Hunter didn't notice.

* * *

'Two centuries ago, one of our greatest chiefs, Markus, was hunting a large bear he'd been tracking for days. His mate needed the pelt so she'd be able to bear the brunt of our harsh winters, as they were expecting cubs next season. The whole tribe knew of the family's importance, and he loved his mate dearly; not even considering remarriage if she died.

'He followed the bear through the Blowback Mountain trail, passing to the east of our village, first spotting it drinking the river's water from our sentry tower, dragging a dead deer with it. Seeing its large size and strength, not only would the thick pelt keep his mate alive, but its meat would also save most of the tribe from starving. And so he set off, with only a makeshift cloak, and his bow and arrows. His thin feet crunched through the first snowfall, and therefore he found it difficult to keep up with it despite his experience. The bear climbed the steep slopes with ease.

'After following it to the base of the tallest mountain, he found a small alcove dug out of the rock faces where he presumed the bear sheltered itself. He crept around the outskirts of the cave, huddled amongst the rocks. He treaded carefully so as to not lose his footing from a sudden gust, as the winds were beginning to pick up as the first cold of winter arrived. Finally, he found a divot in the rocks that gave him a good angle from the side, allowing him a wide view while hiding him from the bear's. As he sighted down the arrow, he found himself with a strange sight. The bear had dropped its kill, but stepped away, and he spotted two cubs tear at the carcass hungrily. It was a mother.

'He aimed his bow at the bear's head, but he couldn't do it. Markus was an exceptional marksman, perhaps even better than myself, but he understood the way of harvesting. The image of his pregnant mate fresh in his mind, he stood there with indecision, unable to fire.'

'This hesitation cost him dearly, as an unfortunate gust at that moment loosened the rocks below his feet, sending him tumbling down the rocks and ending up with a broken leg. Though he managed to hold onto his bow, he was alone as the weather began to worsen. He crawled down towards the trail he came from, knowing he wouldn't catch anything, much less survive.

'However, he came across a pair of falcons. Or rather, they came across him – mistaking him for a carcass. He opened an eye to examine them as he lay there in the cold dirt, and they somehow knew he needed help. We don't really know how they knew, but the falcons set off for a while and with their strength of their beaks, broke off a long, sturdy branch from the trees a few miles down the mountain.

'They both carried it back to Markus, and with it, he managed to lumber down back to his village, but without the pelt or food, the villagers knew they would go hungry for a time, though they had gathered extra rations while he was gone. However, his mate was growing weak, and no matter how warm they tried to make her, her condition worsened. The falcons quickly disappeared again upon seeing her, somehow fighting through the gusts of the mountain with ease. Within a day, they returned to Markus' mate with a straw nest large enough to fit her quite comfortably. Markus didn't object when they nestled in with her, covering her with their regal wings. The villagers, when they could, brought the trio as much food and water as they could spare.

'When Winter finally broke, the falcons were very weak, but with deer in sight again, the villagers – as if in a frenzy – went out and gathered as much food as they could. Markus joined them on the hunt, but found something peculiar – a liquid mess plastered on the path down the mountain, with remains of a thick shell surrounding its edges. He quickly realised that the falcons had sacrificed their own egg for his mate's sake; it was too heavy for the falcons to have lifted the nest with it inside.

'In honour of their sacrifice, the falcons were treated as equals in the village, and with their combined efforts as hunters, the village prospered once again as Markus' cubs were born, and the falcon pair eventually raised another egg. More than that, Markus and all cheetahs alike had a newfound respect for fellow hunters, and adopted their hunting to keep from disturbing their environment more than was necessary.

* * *

'And so it has been, Sparx. Falcons can leave as they please, but we can communicate with them well enough to understand their reasons.' Talon hopped off his arms and onto the rock Sparx was just on, ducking his head behind his wing to preen. 'Those two original falcons went back to the wild in their old age, and their hatchlings, by that time, had already found mates of their own, after staying with us for a time. We make an effort to save any orphaned falcons we encounter, or their eggs. Talon here, I found injured after a grublin attack during the war, a vile arrow shaft stuck in his shoulder. You could say he's grateful to me.'

Talon poked his head out and eyed Hunter flatly, before resuming his activity. Hunter simply chuckled. 'Although he's too proud to admit it.'

The cheetah was surprised to see Sparx could only stare at Hunter and his companion in amazement. 'You were listening? I would have thought you'd fallen asleep by now.'

Sparx frowned in offense. 'So... what? You just make all that up, then?'

'Even I'm not capable of that...'

Sparx shrugged after a moment. 'Your bird kinda stared at me the whole time. But...that was... nice, Hunter. Thanks for sharing it.' He examined Talon curiously, and despite him being a bird, he did hold a sort of majesty similar to that of some dragons.

'I wonder...' Sparx spoke out loud. 'Falcons... don't eat, dragonflies... do they?'

Hunter furrowed his brow. 'They would if they needed to survive, Sparx. They are predators at heart, even with our teachings.'

Sparx sighed glumly. 'Thanks for that. I feel _so_ much better. And after such a good story, too.'

Hunter gave another sly smile. 'You're welcome.' His deep green eyes suddenly widened. 'Dragon's breath. The signal!'

Sparx yelped indignantly as Hunter's paw closed around him. 'Geroff me!'

The next morning, the group moved on towards the Forbidden Tunnel, Hunter leading the way as the group channelled into single file to fit down the waterfall's edge. However, most of the cheetahs opted to return to their village and continued across a large log bridge, deviating from the rest of the group's path. Hunter and Prowlus grasped claws almost like two brothers, and parted without a word.

Sparx used his light through the somewhat narrow cave to help keep the group moving as best he could, staying around the middle due to some light from the two sides. Since the flight would be too long for the weary dragons, they attempted to follow through. Some of the larger dragons got stuck around this point when grouped together, and needed assistance from occupants front and back to get them through. Once again, the three Guardians came out the tunnel last, and they emerged within sight of the Dragon City. The former battlefield in front of them was ravaged and upturned, not to mention the extensive damage to the walls – but it looked more welcoming than any city could at that point.

'We made it!' Sparx exclaimed, but his joy was short-lived. 'But Spyro hasn't yet...'

As Hunter joined him to the side as he dropped his demeanour again, he cleared his throat. 'Sparx? I have a confession.'

'Not another history lesson, Hunter. Not now.'

A smile twitched on Hunter's lips. 'No, I mean to say that someone... used that tunnel recently. Someone on your mind right now.'

Sparx could only stare. 'Wh... you mean... Spyro's...?'

'Actually, I could spot two pairs of clawed feet before we covered them in our own tracks.'

Sparx was suddenly nowhere to be seen, and Hunter spotted him well ahead of the entire column. He gave a surprised grin. _Incredible – I didn't know he had such speed in him._


	3. Aftermath

Chapter 2

Aftermath

* * *

The voice of a distant hawk's cry roused Cynder from her slumber. She spotted glint off her own silver scales on the nearby tree that she and Spyro found themselves under. Gazing out at the river again, the sunlight bounced off the water's surface similarly to her scales. In fact, the landscape was so lit up that she had to squint heavily for several seconds before her eyes adjusted.

She was feeling rested, at least compared to the night after the battle – but upon examining her purple companion, she could see he still needed a bit longer, as he was deep in his sleep. After making it out of the core of the planet, thanks to the air current's sudden burst of wind as the planet reformed itself, Spyro had collapsed heavily in a heap on the nearest cliffside. He managed to walk with her for a time, and Cynder had prayed thanks to the Ancestors they had ended up in sight of the green plains of Avalar. They had managed to find some water at the river, and Cynder scrounged up a couple of rodents for them to share that night for dinner. After the unyielding tension of fighting battle after battle for weeks on end, their stomachs didn't seem ready to eat normally quite yet. That lack of raw energy took its toll on Spyro, especially.

She couldn't help but recall that moment as Spyro rose in the air and emitted that familiar, warm glow. When she said those words, she could _feel_ as if he'd heard her; the shining golden light enveloping them both as if to say_ 'thank you'_. She sighed, her heart suddenly weighed down a little.

_It's OK, though; there's no rush. I wouldn't mind taking things easy for a long time... once we get back to Warfang, of course. I can't think of a better place to rest under shelter with some company._

Spyro had his forelimbs folded in front of him, dozing with his head resting on top of them snugly. He looked so content that Cynder knew she'd feel a bit sorry for him when he woke up – even if he'd done the same to her only a few hours ago. He'd done her a massive favour in doing so, after all.

Her stomach suddenly growled; a sound she hadn't been expecting for a while so soon after yesterday's dinner. Shrugging her shoulders, she set off to look for any other animals that could fill her belly.

She crept out of the shade and climbed a slight slope for a better launch point. As she spread her wings, they ached as though a massive weight had been on them all night. She groaned miserably.

_Still not ready..._

Her wings, and Spyro's as well, she guessed; had seemed to tighten in protest whenever they moved them after that initial flight to the surface. Thinking back, she wasn't surprised. Even she, who excelled at flying, knew they'd pushed their bodies and wings to limits they weren't supposed to.

Instead of flying from her perch, she caught an interesting sight. Her keen eyes picked up on a large familiar oak surrounded by the current of the flowing river, and just beyond that, the tall wooden palisades of the cheetah village.

_Perfect! Maybe they can help us out a little. I only hope they're alright..._

Backtracking a few metres, she rushed to Spyro's side and nudged his cheek gently.

'Come on – up, sleepyhead. Some old friends are waiting for us.'

Spyro's eyes rolled a little under his eyelids as he stirred. 'Uh... morning. Again.' He looked around drearily. 'Ugh...where are we going?'

Cynder jerked her head over her shoulder. 'Cheetahs. We're in the Valley of Avalar, remember?'

'Oh.'

She tugged at his paw with her own to spur him into action, and they strapped on their armour before he followed her down the grassy slopes. They made their way over the log bridges where they could, both grimacing in pain whenever they unfurled the joints of their wings on instinct.

Thankfully the village soon loomed into full view, with the smells of spices and fires gradually filling their nostrils. Spyro found his mouth watering a little as they stood on the wide dirt path, covered in paw footprints.

'Hello? Is anyone there?' Cynder called hopefully.

They were immediately greeted by several voices, some welcoming, and others wary. Several cheetah warriors approached them from around the corner, initially with their spears raised, but immediately retracted them with wide eyes at the sight of them.

'Spyro! Cynder!' A pale yellow warrior exclaimed, before his eyes darted to the others behind. 'Quickly, someone fetch Meadow – he'll want to see them.' His eyes again darted to a couple of cheetahs near a fire. 'Shiall, show these two our hospitality.'

As one of them stood up, clad in an emerald green cloak, Spyro could quickly tell by their height and build that she was female. He raised his brow in surprise, but he quickly guessed the cheetahs had sent their females into hiding the last time they visited. When she lowered her blue hood, they saw that her clean, light-brown face wasn't as furry as the males; her blue eyes softer. She approached them as a few onlookers paused to watch, while others returned to their daily business, greeting them with a bow.

'Welcome, young dragons. I am Shiall; wife to our chief Prowlus.'

Spyro looked surprised, but Cynder couldn't help but speak up. 'Really? How can you stand him?'

'_Cynder!' _Spyro hissed through clenched teeth. 'A little tact...'

Shiall simply chuckled. 'You don't need to worry about that, Spyro. Much of our village wonder the same thing on a daily basis. Eventually, I gave up giving a straight answer, to those who asked... but put simply, it's a matter of teamwork more than romantic attachment.'

Cynder nodded her head. 'Hmm... Yeah, that sounds like how Prowlus would want it.'

Shiall gestured back with a wave of her paw. 'Care for some fish? Freshly cooked under the spit!'

'Yeah, please!' Spyro responded almost immediately. Cynder smiled fondly as they joined her by the fire, and without asking, dropped on the patches of grass that passed for cushions. Shiall picked out two stakes impaling the cooked meal and handed one to each of them. Spyro dug into it, pleased at the fish's size.

As they ate, Shiall examined them both with even more fascination than Hunter once did. 'Incredible. Such colours... I haven't seen your like in all my life. Granted, I haven't seen too many dragons passing through here besides...'

Cynder couldn't help but feel flattered as the cheetah payed close attention to her silver markings adorning her forehead and shoulders. The cheetah stared with such intensity that she half-expected her to touch them like she would a carving.

'...Pardon my asking, but...' Shiall began timidly. 'Do you know where these patterns come from? What they mean?'

Spyro and Cynder quickly looked to each other quizzically before Cynder shook her head. 'I'm... not sure. Though... the ones on my shoulders only appeared after being stuck in a crystal prison for three years.'

To her surprise, Shiall nodded with satisfaction at her answer. 'I see. It must be a racial trait of black dragons. Fascinating...'

Her interest prompted Spyro to ask in return. 'What exactly do you do for the village? And Prowlus?'

'I'm a... scribe of sorts. I fare better expressing our wishes and concerns to our allies and associates in other villages, especially that of Warfang. Prowlus would much rather hunt in the forest than bother himself with expressing his concerns personally. At least, in writing.'

'What about your free time?' Cynder asked.

'Free time? Well...' She gave a longing smile. 'I do love it when our hunters find an ancient scroll or stone tablet. I like to uncover secrets of the past, and to observe how our language has evolved over the centuries. Though Prowlus is prone to calling my pastime "dust-gathering". Still, I value any history I find, no matter how small.'

Cynder quickly thought to her interest in her markings. 'Do you know anything about the history of black dragons, maybe?'

Shiall shook her head. 'I'm afraid not. My knowledge of dragons is limited; I'd have to travel to the Dragon City and spend weeks poring through any tomes they might have available. And I've no shortage of duties here, unfortunately.'

She looked up as a crimson-furred cheetah hurried through the front gates with a fellow in tow. He gave a toothy grin as Spyro and Cynder turned to look, their faces returning his smile in kind.

'Meadow!' Spyro got up first and rushed forward, but stopped awkwardly in front of the cheetah. Sensing this, Meadow simply knelt and offered a paw, and Spyro grabbed it in a firm paw-shake. He repeated the gesture for Cynder, who glanced at his leg curiously.

'Looks like you've healed up well, Meadow,' she observed, the cheetah flexing his toes as an example.

'Thanks to you two – and no thanks to Prowlus.'

Spyro looked around warily, expecting disapproving glances their way. 'Uh... why is it fine to talk like that in public?'

Meadow gave a small smile as he stood. 'Prowlus prefers the blunt truth rather than roundabout lies. We've learned to tolerate his leadership, necessary as it is. He's hard and stubborn, but he's still got our best interests at heart.'

They found themselves looking over the valley as if expecting Prowlus' warriors to enter their view at any second. After a few moments, the cheetah sighed heavily.

'Prowlus and Hunter... along with most of our warriors. We'll need them back to ascertain the future of our tribe.'

Spyro lowered his head thoughtfully. He remembered the cheetahs fighting through the edge of the grublin line, and how they managed to get in the front gates before he and Cynder joined the fray. He didn't know how many died outside the walls, however.

'Don't worry; we saw most of your people who helped us at Warfang survive... somehow. And Terrador knows what he's doing. You'll see them soon, Meadow.'

Meadow nodded reservedly. 'I hope so, young dragon.' He turned and smiled again, his eyes drawn to their helmets. 'I presume you are returning to Warfang now?'

Cynder nodded. 'After we've had enough of a lunch. Our wings can barely lift us now, let alone all the way to Warfang...' She thought to herself quickly. 'I suppose the best way would be to follow the same route as we did before. Right, Spyro?'

He inclined his head. 'Right.'

Tension was rapidly building up in her joints; she was anxious to get moving again now that her stomach was full. She found herself with a strange sensation of wanting to keep moving and fighting like her body had done for a long time now – the sudden prospect of doing no such thing felt strange to her. Her mind welcomed it, but her body couldn't seem to keep up.

Meadow looked slightly disappointed at her fidgeting. 'Leaving so soon? And here I was hoping you would trade stories with me. I could not do my share of fighting because of my injury, so...'

Spyro smiled gently. 'We understand, Meadow. But a lot of things are still uncertain to us as well. We have to figure the situation with our own people too; not to mention the moles under our protection.'

Meadow gave a submissive nod as he spotted Shiall gathering the leftover firewood from the campsite, preparing to clean up as the sun overhead crossed the midday threshold. 'Very well – I understand that duty must come before embellishing a lonely warrior.'

Cynder couldn't help but roll her eyes at his somewhat melodramatic tone. 'It's not like you can't come and visit Warfang, right? If we have spare time, we could tell you all about it. Shiall might appreciate a visit too.'

'I'll keep that in mind, young dragons.' Meadow prepared himself to follow the other cheetahs as they moved to help clean after the meals. 'Go in peace and prosperity, my friends.'

Spyro and Cynder gave their respective bows before they trotted out the front gate, and were surprised when Shiall gave a friendly wave from one of the towers, and they each waved back with a wing awkwardly. Spyro grinned to himself as he glanced sideways.

'Huh...what do you think of her?'

'She's... different.' Cynder admitted, thinking of all the hardened stoic faces of the cheetahs she'd met so far, then Shiall's enthusiastic and friendly questions. 'If only because she's not so stony-faced. Even Hunter has that problem a lot of the time.'

'Yeah...'

Taking care not to push their limbs too far, the two dragons made their way through the familiar pathways towards the western waterfall, where the Forbidden Tunnel awaited them.

* * *

Once the two found their way through the thinly veiled canopy nearby, they settled for a short rest next to an energy crystal, both absorbing a small amount of energy from glowing the formation with their paws. As if testing, Spyro instinctively snorted a puff of heated smoke from his nostrils towards the water, satisfied that he could use at least one element. Cynder, on the other hand, gave a quick, forceful puff of air from deep within her throat, her aim accidentally pushing Spyro off balance, earning a yelp as he nearly fell into the water. She couldn't help but snicker at his annoyed frown.

'Hey! That could've been a pretty big problem... seeing as it's hard to fly now, remember?'

'I know, I know...' Cynder admitted. 'I just couldn't help it – it's fun messing with you.'

Spyro raised his brow in surprise, before smiling warmly. 'I suppose... it's fine if it's with you.'

Their thoughts went back to the first time in the Valley, and though they'd had their mission to find Meadow, what they both remembered most was one race... one race across the length of the river. It was unspoken, only triggered by smiles as they stared down the Valley together, leaving Sparx behind with a handful of indignant curses.

But they both wanted to get to Warfang and under its cool stone ceilings before it got too dark. They stared over the valley one last time, taking the beauty of the landscape, the sun lighting the distant mountains like shining towers.

'I'll miss this place...' Spyro couldn't help but murmur, to which Cynder grunted in agreement. As Cynder turned towards the sight of the rock face's unique markings, Spyro moved in front of her ever so slightly, a suddenly serious expression adorning his muzzle.

'Cynder? Before we get to Warfang... I wanted to talk.'

Cynder examined him curiously. 'Can't we talk on the way? We're nearly there.'

'I know, but... please, Cynder?'

Something in his voice told her she needed to listen, and she sat on her haunches expectantly, Spyro exhaling nervously before he began.

'I just wanted to say, Cynder... when we get back to Warfang... everything will be different. It's for the best, but... some things, I hope won't change.'

Cynder couldn't pick up his meaning. 'That's a given, isn't it? What are you really trying to say, Spyro?'

He sighed, trying to form the words. As he recalled that moment, he found her words, and the meaning behind it, rather overwhelming. Saving the world, having a goal that he needed to fight his way to... that made sense to him. But this was different, new... scary in its own way. Cynder had told him what he'd hoped for a long time... though he had no idea how long ago that hope had begun. He wasn't entirely sure how to deal with it, but he needed to say something now, if only to be honest with her.

'I remember... the last words you spoke to me; deep in the planet's core, Cynder. You remember?'

Cynder's eyes softened. 'That I would stay with you, no matter what?'

Spyro nodded slowly. 'Yes... and no. You... you said you loved me.'

'I did.'

He was taken aback by how sure she sounded, looking directly at him without hesitation. His heart lightened at her admittance, but... he couldn't help but feel a little confused. He didn't know anything about dragon relationships, and Cynder herself – she knew even less, as she hadn't spent nearly as much time around other dragons as she should have been able to.

'...What does this mean, Cynder? What are we supposed to do?'

At that, Cynder's stance faltered a little. She glanced down away from his gaze. 'I'm... not sure, Spyro. That's something I... I have no idea.'

She was put at ease as Spyro eventually sighed and moved forward, touching the tip of his snout to her cheek. 'Don't worry too much. We can figure this out. Though... it just occurred to me that apart from fighting and using our abilities, we know almost nothing about being dragons. We need to learn more, before we can figure this out.'

Cynder twitched a smile, knowing he was right. 'That makes sense. But learn what, exactly?'

It was Spyro's turn to smile. 'Everything we can, including how to help those around us. It will take the world a while to recover from Malefor's touch, but...' He gazed at her intently. 'You are an amazing dragon, Cynder. Don't ever doubt that, no matter what you did in the past, what you've already done should be enough for everyone to know what you truly are. And I want to help you become what you were meant to be.'

_What I'm meant to be? _Cynder was moved by his desire, but found it far too selfless for her better judgement. 'What about you, then? What will you become?'

Spyro glanced downwards once. 'I've done what I was meant to. I only want to do what I can with my powers, now that Malefor's gone... I hope I can be happy living life as a normal dragon. That's what I've always wanted for you, too.'

_A normal dragon? _The words sounded very strange to her. How could she ever be considered a normal dragon among the others, given her past? Then thoughts of the dragons in Warfang and their faces looking directly at her ran through her head, and she instantly felt nervous. How many would judge her and shun her? If she returned and lived among the others, there was a good possibility she would become an outcast without meaning to. But Spyro's gaze was sincere, and told her that he would never look at her like that.

'I know it's a little scary, Cynder, but it's where we both belong now. Now that Malefor's gone, isn't it what you want?'

Cynder turned her gaze away uncertainly. 'I've barely thought about that. All that time, it was just war, and Malefor... I admit, it is a bit scary to think about.' She paused thoughtfully, trying to think of what it would be like to be a normal dragon. 'But if it's possible... yeah. I'd like that more than anything. I was taken away from other dragons all my life; given the chance, I would love to be able to live as one of them instead.' She lowered her gaze at him doubtfully. 'But do you really think it'll be that simple? They'll just accept me as one of them?'

Spyro twisted his face ponderously. 'Well, you helped me save the world and stop Malefor. That's a pretty good start.' When Cynder's visage didn't brighten, he smiled encouragingly. 'Even if you're right, the dragons I've known have all been open-minded and kind people. They might be a bit scared of you in the beginning, but as long as you keep trying to help them, they'll warm up eventually. Besides – ' He raised a paw to his chest. 'I'll be there with you, and I'll help you all the way, Cynder. I promise.'

Beaming despite herself, Cynder leaned forward to nuzzle his cheek, holding them in place long enough for them to feel each other's breathing. 'I'm lucky to have a dragon like you with me, Spyro.'

Spyro nuzzled her back in contentment, before lowering his voice. 'I know we've barely started, but... I can't imagine being without you. Thank you – for staying with me.'

* * *

It was strangely silent for them afterwards, wandering through the tunnel, as any time they spoke sent an annoying amount of echoes in the opposite direction. Their attention was occasionally diverted by the glowing purple crystals embedded in the walls, lighting the way ever so slightly. Spyro guessed the echoes were why Hunter didn't want Sparx to mouth off during their first trip through the tunnel.

Cynder couldn't shake off the lingering battle-tension still knotted in her muscles. She wanted to sprint down the tunnel, but with Spyro leading the way, many thoughts still on her mind at what they'd discussed, she didn't want to divert him from it.

However, once sunlight began pouring through as they neared the other end, with Warfang coming into view; she couldn't help but lunge forward over the open plain between them and the nearby western gate. Spyro only stared for a second as if in a trance, before rushing after her. 'Uh... hey! Wait up!'

She slowed down just enough for him to catch up, running up the overly long dirt path surrounded by scattered fir trees – though most of the plain before them was still scarred from Warfang's siege, with other trees lying in ruins, and scattered debris closer to the wall as they scanned the city's edges. The massive, extravagant stone gates were clearly built to allow even the largest dragons in, towering over their heads and wide enough for the Avalar River to flow through. Though littered with dents and impact marks from battle, the dragon adornments still lay emblazoned surrounded by borders containing a continuous message; _strength, friendship, unity._

They didn't have to yell out this time, as they spotted the armoured head of a dragon guard glance down as they approached, and after a relieved smile, he duck his head behind the high parapet. 'Spyro and Cynder have returned!'

Instead of opening the massive gates as they expected, the two dragons eyed a more modest opening; the sound of gears and levers grinding as a section of the wall slid backwards and to the side, a mole beckoning them through it. It was a suitable size even for them, and said mole began to crank a circular lever as they passed through before the stone slab slid into place behind them.

The dragon guard from above swooped down in a small arc to meet them. They remembered seeing similar-looking dragons on their first visit, as some had participated in the initial battle. He was a slightly smaller than the Guardians, but still stood more than twice their height. He had moss-green scales with scarlet markings over his flank and some showing through his helmet, which like the rest of his armour was gold. From his bulky build, they guessed he was an Earth dragon. He looked between them with barely contained elation.

'We are so glad to see you two as the first arrivals! Ever since the evacuation begun, we all waited and hoped for your safe return. Ignitus' faith in you was well placed! You'll have to tell us all about your struggle... 'He noticed how their wings dragged tiredly behind them. '...But you must be exhausted from your journey. On another note, have you perchance seen the guardians, or any more of our brethren who fled the city? Only a small population stayed behind here, taking shelter in the more sturdy buildings.'

Spyro and Cynder shook their heads solemnly. 'No, I'm sorry, sir,' Spyro stated uncertainly. 'We didn't see any of the groups that had evacuated... but we were in a bit of a hurry to get to shelter, if you know what I mean.'

The guard gave a single quick nod. 'Of course, you need quarters. By the Spirits, we certainly have spare room.'

He looked around and eyed a nearby guard flying on patrol, and called up roughly. 'Tytus! Cover my post while I escort these young dragons to suitable quarters.'

Without waiting to see if Tytus had complied, he strode forward into the city, following a wide walkway with what looked like market stalls and merchant buildings surrounding them. There were a few moles present, but they were either building or moving materials into place. The two youngsters followed the wave of the dragon's tail, and he began to speak without prompt. He introduced himself as Clauk.

'The moles are truly dedicated to their work. Once the shaking of the world stopped for good, their stoneworkers and builders immediately drew up plans to begin reconstruction of the lost buildings in the last attack. Thanks to them and us Earth dragons, we've already repaired the infrastructure networks, that includes the underground pressure systems for delivering water to every dwelling, along with heat if desired.'

Spyro knew the weather was relatively warm now, but the idea of huddling in a toasty room by a fire in winter didn't sound too bad either. 'What if you want to make the rooms colder?'

Clauk mused as if remembering a past experience. 'Being dragons, warmer weather usually suits us better, though for those furry moles – the pressure systems can expel the air and leave the systems on a current, using the natural air flowing through the city. Sometimes, in extreme heatwaves, we have an Ice dragon go down with the moles and generate some ice-driven cold wind for a couple of hours during midday. He or she would be paid, of course. Mason is a true genius, establishing the city-wide system in the first place.'

'Is Mason here?' Cynder asked hopefully.

Clauk turned his large head and nodded. 'He stayed behind to help keep the place falling apart. He's more of an engineer than a warrior.'

_No doubt. _Cynder remembered with a minor edge of annoyance Mason's role in defending the gate.

'After you rest up tonight, he would be quite happy to see you two. I think he'll be relieved to some familiar faces return.'

It suddenly occurred to Spyro that they had some choice of quarters. 'Uh... Clauk, sir? Can we choose the quarters?'

Clauk suddenly stopped in place, before turning around and smiling in embarrassment. 'Yes, of course, it slipped my mind as we went! Well... what we have available now is divided into districts rather than individual rooms, all with differing distances to the Library dome, the baths, towers, and so on. So I'll tell you as much as I can about these areas.'

'Your first pick of buildings lies in the residential district – for dragons, obviously. These have large buildings – the moles call them mansions – which can house a family of dragons if need be. There are only a few residents there now, with the... well, you know. These are in close proximity to the baths one tier above, the districts themselves being situated on the first tier of our constructed plateaus. I actually live there myself. It suits a guard's life, with easy access to the market here for extra food and nearby baths to relax...'

Spyro and Cynder quickly grasped the concept of tiers just by looking up. While there were many large buildings obscuring them, it was clear the city was divided into steps as it was built into the side of a very large hill. Each tier's staircases to the next were clearly marked with large dragon statues on either side. Though many had been destroyed or damaged, these large stairs were easily recognisable. What they didn't notice before, spotting one such ramp just beyond Clauk, was that a miniature, thinner stairway rose just beside the seemingly dragon-sized one; it must have been one catered to the moles and other smaller inhabitants. Cynder grinned at the thought of moles attempting to scramble up the steps bigger than they were. She looked back to Clauk as he continued.

'The second area is further up the tiers, where the Guardians and, in ancient past, Council resided. These are better suited for single dragons or pairs, with the Library dome in sight out of the front doors, though it requires a few minutes' travel. The many quarters are built into a makeshift cavern, with winding pathways crafted from the rock itself. It's also very close to the outdoor training area, with training young dragons or Guardians in mind. It does take a minute or two to fly down to the baths or market rather than being right next to it. The circular hub of chambers is really quite magnificent, though its relative openness renders it not as private as the residential area.'

Spyro and Cynder couldn't help but flush a little with embarrassment, but Clauk continued without interruption. He turned to look toward the eastern corner of the city, eyeing a small cluster of towers.

'While it's the furthest from the baths and market, and equally distant from the Council chambers, the Starlight Towers are reserved for the dragons and moles interested in scholarly endeavours. The Towers have the Library dome next door at their base, and contain many bridges and openings for dragons to fly in and out of. While most large buildings allow dragons to roost on top, the Towers are specifically designed for star-gazing. A strange activity, but some dragons take to it more than others. These roosts have the best view by far in all of Warfang. There are also piles of dragon parchment and writing materials in the Dome. One tower is purpose-built for residence, with the main entrances being wide balconies to save space for the interior, though there is a smaller entrance for the moles at ground level. Unfortunately, few live there now, and it might be a bit... dusty.'

He exhaled heavily as he finished, but looked satisfied at his rendition of the choices, turning to face the young dragons expectantly. 'I'll give you two a minute to decide.'

Spyro and Cynder quickly looked to each other curiously, Cynder speaking first.

'I really like the Residential area. It's the closest to the exit, so it'll be easier to leave to go exploring. And the baths sound... pretty appealing.'

Spyro nodded slowly. 'I know what you mean... but the problem is that pretty soon we're probably going to join the Guardians often when they get back... but I suppose regular wing exercise wouldn't hurt too much. Good thing we can fly pretty fast over this place.'

'What would you like though, Spyro?'

He emitted a sheepish grin. 'I... I dunno, but the Towers sound perfect for me. I love the idea of reading and being able to see the Avalar valley out a window... but right now, it'd silly to go there, as I have no idea where things are supposed to go and how it even works.'

Quickly understanding his meaning, Cynder nodded and they both turned back to Clauk, who was eyeing some meat on display hungrily.

'Clauk?'

His attention quickly snapped back to attention. '...Huh? You've made a decision?'

Spyro let Cynder talk. 'We'd like to go to the Residential area for now... until the others get back, anyway. We don't have much reason to live anywhere else, since we know barely anything about how to live in a city.'

Clauk nodded with approval. 'I agree; it takes some getting used to, with more rules and consideration of others than you're most likely used to. But it is quite comfortable once you do.'

He struck his wings out suddenly as if to stretch, and the two flinched away in instinct. 'Good! Let's get moving.'

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as they arrived, casting orange shadows over the massive stonework. Clauk seemed to know his way around well – deliberately leading them around corners through a shaded route, stating that with the recent war and magma activity, the stone in the open sun was hotter than what even dragons were used to. The few scattered mole and dragon residents seemed ecstatic at seeing Spyro and Cynder and rushed forward to greet and congratulate them, but Clauk quickly sent them off politely as Spyro and Cynder grew more worn out after each encounter.

After passing through gardens, warehouses, and a few more scattered citizens, they finally arrived at a distinct, green, rune-adorned arch. The arch was just as wide as the gates they entered through. From a distance, Cynder was a little disappointed, as the architecture seemed a bit boring – most buildings in sight followed the same design: a large ground level with a flat roof, and a smaller dome on the top with an entrance onto a makeshift balcony. However, the scale of the entire area bore down on them as they drew closer, the young dragons quickly feeling dwarfed at how far the pavement stretched; she guessed the paths through the entire district ran at least a mile. Each house itself seemed a mansion that towered over even the Guardians. Though each was no more than two storeys high, the individual levels were at least five metres high – ten in total, making the loft domes point out like round mini-towers. Each building was adorned with different colours, decorations and other odd ornaments, along with surrounding vegetation for each one, most often allowed to grow tall on the grassy fields only separated by the stone pathways. Given that the place was meant for dragons, the lush fields were quite widespread, allowing wide open spaces for walking around and flying – creating an effective illusion of an entire village contained in one district.

On the stonework in front of them, clearly marked pathways were painted pointing them in several directions, with elements used for separate districts – Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light and Dark. Spyro found this curious, as they weren't the names used by the Guardians, but he quickly put it from his mind as Clauk stopped at the first crossroad pavement.

'Is there any real difference between these, uh... houses?' Cynder asked.

'Not really,' Clauk answered, 'it only gives some direction where each type of dragon would typically live, helping new arrivals to get settled. The Earth district is where I live – it's the district beyond this one: the Fire district. It's not very easy to gauge the borders of each district, though for good reason; most dragons don't want to be separated too much from other types, even by imaginary borders.'

The pathways led into many different areas, but on their right, towards the entrance to the city, the buildings were further apart with surrounding pathways leading down to the lower tiers of the city, only cordoned off by similar wide entrance arches. On their left, however, the six districts lined up next to each other nicely, each one having another arch separated from the next by a thick wall with parapets on the top, allowing dragons to roost. Spotting the inside of each arch, Cynder could tell the broad houses inside were arranged in a circle, all facing a central courtyard; a place, presumably, where dragons might have met each other in the mornings and evenings. Her eyes briefly fell as she considered how many families, friends, siblings or even lovers were killed during the war, leaving the pathways, fields and buildings rather empty and silent as it was now.

Spyro eyed her worriedly for a second, and then leaned his head towards the first house on the left as they had come in. The walls were mostly red and the roofs gold – and it was surrounded by a healthy array of lush vegetation. 'We'll take that one, Clauk.'

Clauk nodded sincerely. 'Do you require any more help?'

'Only one thing...' Spyro began uncertainly. 'Do we need to... pay for it? These houses – they might as well be mansions.'

Clauk's eyes widened in shock, as if Spyro was suggesting he destroy the house. 'No! Don't be silly, Spyro, the world owes you and Cynder far more than a residence.'

The purple dragon smiled with relief. 'OK... what if we wanted to move? Our duties might change soon...'

'... Provided you will have any at all.' Clauk finished. 'I think you've earned a break, though you are welcome to assist the moles in rebuilding tomorrow or whenever you wish. Did you want to go and see Mason tomorrow with me? He may be able to tell you more.'

Cynder managed to smile appreciatively alongside her purple companion. 'That'd be nice, Clauk, thank you.'

Clauk beamed, excited to be helping the two heroes at hand. 'Great! I'll be waiting for you at this gate at two-Solus.'

Spyro and Cynder both stared at him blankly. 'Is that the... time?' Spyro asked.

Clauk stared back for a moment before blinking in realisation. 'Oh, sorry, I forgot your um... experience, or lack thereof. Solus and Lunos stand for day and night, marked by individual markers on the sundials. Every house here has one – well, the furbished ones anyway – on their balconies. There's one right here in the middle of the pathway; take a look.'

He led them a short distance to the first crossroads, only know realising there was a small raised platform in the centre. Like the earth guard had said, a sundial stood on the dais, a long shadow piercing its golden metal edge. It was only twice the size of their small paws.

'See how the shadow is between two black lines near the top left? Those two lines are the numbers ten and eleven. Given its distance between them, I'd call it approximately ten-twenty-one-Solus, as it's still daytime. Night typically begins at twelve-Solus, or zero-Lunos.' He pointed a single claw to two increments from the upper-central line. 'This one is two. Tomorrow morning at dawn, the shadow will be a little concealed, but easy enough to make out without interfering lights, and will start at the centre line at the top. After two hours, it will have cleared two of these markers.'

Spyro nodded firmly. Cynder cocked her head thoughtfully.

'How do you see a shadow at night?'

'Moonlight! Uh...' Clauk answered immediately, but grimaced uncertainly. 'Well, the moon's orbit is too irregular for an accurate time – at least compared to the sun. The stargazers have worked out their own unique system for using the sundials in this manner, but I won't bore you with the details now.'

'But what if it's cloudy?' Spyro asked. 'This system would become useless.'

Clauk chuckled. 'Well, it's not perfect, I admit, but it's worked well enough for us so far.' Picking up on their concerned glances at each other, he shrugged. 'Don't worry; I'll wake you up if you oversleep.'

'Fair enough.' Spyro said eagerly. 'See you tomorrow then, Clauk, and thanks for showing us around.'

As the earth dragon flew off, the two almost stumbled through the door as Cynder opened it, clumsily stripping their armour and dumping on the floor and collapsing on two large gold, silky cushions in sight after Spyro shut the door. Overcome by the day's mental and physical exertions, they fell asleep almost immediately.


	4. The Gathering

Chapter 3

The Gathering

* * *

Sparx flew through the air as fast as his thing wings could carry him, hovering high enough that he startled a mole patrolling the central rampart by the main gate. Sparx quickly spun around towards the mammal, not spotting any obvious signs of Spyro or Cynder, bringing himself to rest in front of the mole's face, panting his words out.

'SPYRO. CYNDER. WHERE!?'

The mole smiled at him happily. 'You must be Sparx! Yes, Spyro and Cynder have arrived, as it's been circulated among the guards. You'll find them in the Fire district of the residential area. Just look for the giant houses in a line – I believe they're in the first one on the left from the western entrance.'

Sparx nodded shortly before he sped off, coming down to the ground to catch his breath in the thicker air. He'd caught sight of the so-called district: a bunch of houses side by side that had oddly boring designs? That must be it.

He flew upwards again, and upon catching sight of the massive houses, zoomed towards the left arch, quickly finding the building the guard spoke of. For a second, he doubted whether he'd be able to find his brother in the massive building; though he was used to that feeling in the Dragon Temple. He examined it for a second, a sense of familiarity creeping through him.

_Figures Spyro would choose this one. Its colours... kinda remind me of Ignitus._

He flew up to one of the front windows to peer inside – and there they were. Spyro and Cynder in clear view, asleep on personal cushions many times bigger than themselves. His heart leapt in his chest to see them, but he couldn't help but wonder how they'd gotten back so fast.

He gently pressed down on the window pane to rotate its horizontal hinges, and he slipped inside quietly. He was tempted to wake them both up, but decided against it. He wasn't sure he could even if he wanted to; they were like immovable dragon statues except for the fact they were obviously breathing.

He smiled as he flew for a closer examination. _Aww... they're so cute... except for the horns, the claws, and big jaws that could eat me anytime they wanted..._

Images from his childhood flashed through his head – most prominently when he ended up on the receiving end of Spyro's teeth when waking him up on bad mornings.

Shaking away the scary images, he looked around for a place to sleep, and settled on a bookshelf, quickly getting the idea of using one as a bed. The bookshelf was embedded into an entire wall and filled with books, though he didn't care enough to try and read any titles. The walls were mostly red, adorned with golden depictions of cities, statues, and some of the stranger creatures that existed in the world, including those things he called 'freaky turtle monsters'. With the light fading, it was hard for him to make them all out, but these designs appeared to be metal woven finely into the proper shapes and fitted together seamlessly. Whoever lived here must have been rich, he guessed.

Yawning, he glided down to the middle shelf into a bare space, moving a book into open position and planting himself so he could use several pages as a blanket. He mused to himself one final time before dozing off, Spyro and Cynder in plain sight as he raised his head to glance at them one last time.

_It's not home, but it'll do. _

* * *

Clauk mused over his meeting with the fabled purple dragon – he'd glimpsed the two young dragons briefly during Warfang's siege, as the Deep Golem climbed up the tower, while he'd been closer the ground trying to hold the gates. He almost found it hard to believe that they were still so young, despite their accomplishments already.

He then caught the mixed scent of a horde of moving bodies – including dragons, moles and cheetahs alike, and redirected his path to investigate. Several of his fellow guards were gathered on the western ramparts, surveying a large crowd approaching the gates eagerly. Quickly spotting the regal Guardians at the forefront, Clauk called down to the moles to open up as he passed overhead. Several small bodies scrambled up to separate contraptions surrounding the gate; four moles and two dragons each working on separate contraptions. The gate slowly curved inward as the attached joints were pulled until the gates lay open. Clauk swooped down to meet the Guardians out of the main path to allow the refugees to enter the city and return to their homes.

'Terrador, sir!' He greeted the Earth Guardian with a salute to his helm. 'With Volteer and Cyril! It's good to see you come back; we've been waiting for you.'

Terrador managed a smile before his expression grew more serious. 'What is the situation? Has anyone else returned?'

Clauk nodded quickly. 'Spyro and Cynder have arrived, sir.'

He paused as the three Guardians beamed simultaneously, but after a moment he continued. 'However, we haven't had any other groups come back yet...'

'Odd.'

Clauk, started at the low voice, looked up as he saw Hunter sitting atop a stack of crates, eyeing the city's interior curiously. 'Talon insisted they were near on our tails.'

'Perhaps, Hunter...' Volteer interjected, '... they will arrive later on in the night?'

Terrador nodded in agreement. 'Sounds quite likely, I'm afraid.'

'Clauk, young chap!' Cyril voiced earnestly. 'I hate to ask this of you and your fellow guards, but you may need to stay on patrol for a few hours longer. I understand your duties have left you rather tired of all this...'

'Not at all, sir.' Clauk stood resolute. 'This city has been empty for what feels like forever. I'll be glad to help the rest of your groups to their homes once they arrive.' He grimaced uncomfortably. 'But, the other guards might not be so willing...'

'Just do what you can.' Terrador rumbled. 'We need to get back to the Council chambers to begin sorting out – well, everything... amongst a myriad of other issues I'm guessing will arise...'

Clauk nodded and bowed. 'Then speed on your wings.'

The Guardians returned the gesture, and he watched as they spread their wings and launched upwards towards Warfang's upper echelon. Hunter sprung to action as well, Talon flying alongside the cheetah, leaping up the steps with agility that left Clauk watch him go enviously.

_I wonder if Hunter will become a Councilman too..._

He groaned as he eyed the several guards awaiting orders at the top of the ramparts. _Ugh... time to break the news. _

* * *

Hunter parted ways from the guardians just before the Council chambers and the Grand Hall. Living most of his life as a nomad, Hunter knew where he would stay tonight, as Talon followed him to a familiar scent.

After clearing the final flight of stairs, Hunter looked around the flat courtyard, filled with large stone obelisks – each depicting one of a long line of notable figures in history. Some were ruined, but Hunter inwardly hoped that enough of the dragon's history was intact for the stoneworkers to one day restore them.

He turned left towards a round wooden outpost jutting out over the stone wall's edge. The small hut was full of large holes exposed towards the city, and filled with familiar chattering and calls. He passed through the entrance flap of cloth, smiling at the many sets of beady eyes staring at him.

'I'm here, my friends.'

Several falcons leapt from their respective perches and stood at his feet, chattering happily as Talon joined them and Hunter knelt down. Some of them couldn't help but nip at his hands, expecting food, earning a tickled chuckle from the cheetah.

'Unfortunately, I'm empty handed this time.'

After spending a few minutes stroking their feathers and accounting for them as they hopped back into their perches, the wooden beams lined in rows along the walls, he counted them up and exhaled with relief as he accounted for all of them. The last he'd seen of them, they'd followed him and the other dragons to the dam before he had to send them away to the outlying regions – warning everyone to get underground.

_Thank the ancestors for the wind's speed..._

He mused over how he would feed the birds a well-deserved meal, and made plans to go out tomorrow, perhaps out into the plains to hunt. They would need meat as well, with the moles perhaps appreciating a few bags of berries and fruit.

Terrador had called for Hunter to meet them in the Grand Hall at one-Solus. Yawning tiredly, he leaned back against a wall blanketed by hay, wrapping his body in his cloak, and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Despite Volteer's cheerful chattering about the outcome of the war, and the prospect of seeing Spyro and Cynder alive and well once they woke, Terrador and Cyril eyed the city grimly atop the stone steps after picking out their temporary quarters from the caverns. The war had taken its toll upon the entire city, as well as its inhabitants. Terrador was sympathetic for the moles most of all; their stature leaving many victims in the war's wake, and all because of their direct association with the dragons. He needed them to understand the dragons appreciated their sacrifices in assisting them – as well as the cheetahs that came to their defence.

'No need to be so despondent, Terrador.' Volteer stated with encouragement out of the corner of his eye. 'Dragons and moles cooperated to build this city; they can handle a transformation just as well.'

Cyril shook his head solemnly. 'Stone is not the only thing lost in this sight.'

Volteer looked downtrodden for only a moment, before raising his head firmly. 'I know what you mean, old friend. However, this is not the first calamity that's befallen us, and it may not be the last. Yet somehow, we've always come back to recover from it. That's something that I cannot explain in scientific terms – but I am grateful for it, regardless.'

Cyril's expression softened a little. 'Even the Ice dragons such as myself were not enough to turn the tide. It was Spyro – at least, this time around.'

Terrador's nostrils bristled hopefully. 'You're both right; and wrong, in a way.'

At their confused, and in Cyril's case, insulted gazes, Terrador raised his head to the sky.

'The Spirits of those three comrades shone that day. The sky marked it. You saw it too, didn't you?'

Volteer and Cyril raised their brows in understanding, giving their comrade a slow nod.

'I wonder where Ignitus is...' Cyril murmured.

They all feared the worst, but didn't let the implication reach them now. They couldn't until they had the answers; that's what Ignitus taught them in his own way.

Terrador sighed heavily before turning away from the sight of the damaged city. The list of things to account for would only grow the next day; he knew the feeling too well from the last few years of avid war. He resigned himself to his quarters; feeling through the ground that Volteer and Cyril weren't far behind in following.

* * *

Spyro stirred the next morning, an aggravating ray of sunlight shining through his eyelids. After a few minutes of trying to shut it out, he reluctantly shifted his weight and got off of his lumpy cushion. He made a mental note not to sit on that cushion in the same position again, judging from the ache on his flank's side.

He quickly frowned, feeling a familiar presence in the room. Or rather, he heard the faint sounds of soft snoring coming from the bookshelf. He crept towards it with slight apprehension; wondering if the house was plagued by vermin, but relaxed when he recognised the sound. He smiled warmly at the insect abdomen sticking out the bottom of an open book's pages.

_Sparx managed to find us on his own..._

He carefully took the book out and laid it on the floor in front of him, peeling the pages off of Sparx and gently prodding him with the edge of a paw's digit. 'Sparx... wake up. It's Spyro.'

Sparx opened his mouth with half lidded eyes. 'Eh? Wh-'

When his brother's eyes widened, Spyro hastily covered his mouth with the same digit, jerking his head over at Cynder. _'Roof.' _He mouthed.

Sparx nodded dumbly, taking great efforts to keep his mouth shut after Spyro let him go. He followed Spyro through a short hallway exiting the room, quickly going up a wide staircase; though Spyro seemed to struggle a little at the steps' size. Overall, the stairwell was closed off but high grey walls until they met the burst of light on the balcony, and he could hold it in no longer.

'Spyro!'

Spyro's cheek was immediately covered in happy dragonfly, pressing into his side with more force than he expected. While it stung a little, Spyro simply draped his paw over Sparx warmly.

'It's nice to see you too, Sparx.'

Sparx, once pried off Spyro's face, suddenly couldn't stop his mouth moving at the overload of questions pouring out his mouth.

'When'd you get back? What happened out there? Is Malefor gone? And...' Sparx paused, breathing for air, before grinning cheekily. 'Did you put on weight?'

Spyro simply rolled his eyes in response. 'First off – I hadn't eaten for three years. Second – Cynder and I got back yesterday evening. We stopped by Hunter's village for some food – and how could I have gained weight? It makes no sense.'

Sparx folded his arms smugly. 'Says you. But ya still kind of look beat up. I imagine it was pretty rough out there, huh?'

Spyro's posture suddenly sagged, and Sparx raised his brow with concern. 'Oh. I guess you're not ready to um... spill the beans, yet?'

'I suppose not...' Spyro admitted reluctantly, before looking up towards the city behind them. 'I'd rather save it all for Terrador and the others, when we're all together. Sorry, Sparx.'

Sparx waved his hand casually, adopting a cheerful grin. 'Ah, I can cut you some slack this time. You did save the world, after all.'

Sparx's eyes fell to the floor, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. 'So, uh... you and Cynder living together now, or somethin'?'

Spyro looked a little confused. 'I guess so, yeah. Problem?'

Sparx eyed around shiftily, pressing his hands together. 'I just wondering... how sleeping arrangements would work with the three of us... and if you two were... sharing a room...'

After a moment, Spyro's face flushed hotly. 'Sparx! It's not like that.'

He was answered with a cheeky prod in his face. 'Gotcha!'

Spyro eyed the victorious dragonfly tiredly. 'Ugh... remind me why I saved the world, exactly?'

Sparx began counting his fingers. 'Hm... let's see, there's Terrador, Cyril, Volteer, the swamp, the moles, Hunter, the cheetahs, Mason – '

'OK OK!' Spyro exhaled heavily. 'Let's just get ready.'

Sparx shrugged for a moment before grinning again. 'By the way, remind me I owe you a salad.' He didn't wait to see Spyro's confused reaction and went back down the staircase, eyes darting around for a snack or water. Spyro's eyes also flicked around until he found what he was looking for – the sundial on a raised dais near the edge of the balcony. It was built into a sort of guard rail of stone surrounding the roof's balcony to the side, and looked identical to the one down in the courtyard square apart from the gold metal surrounding it.

_I'm guessing it's one-twenty-Solus._

Seeing that Clauk hadn't yet arrived, he explored the house a little more. Given it was built to accomodate an entire family of dragons, he felt very small in the large doorways and rooms, leaving him curious as to what secrets it might hold. He groaned inwardly; forty minutes wasn't enough time to go through the whole place. However, upon reflectoin, he couldn't help but grin. It only just dawned on him that he could do whatever he wanted to do; apart from some work, he could go exploring the city with Cynder and Sparx. Given the size of it so far, he guessed it would take months to even do that. And then there were the books lining the bookshelf he wanted to start reading.

He decided to start with the large dome directly behind him – the second level of the building. There were a couple of wide entrances he didn't bother to go through before now. He scampered around and chose the entrance to the left after passing under the shade of the stone ceiling.

Pushing his head through the red drapes, he found himself in a strange room. Against a large clear window made of glass, was a massive, elliptical, orange-coloured basin that would fit an entire dragon inside it comfortably, with what looked like soft pads on either side to place wings. Looking around further, he quickly surmised it was a bathroom of some sort, with an empty shelf that might have held lotions or medicine on the right, along with a raised washing basin a third the size of the bath against the left wall. The walls were also coated with a sky blue rather than the usual red to separate it from the rest of the building. Above the washing basin was a square mirror big enough for a dragon to examine his entire body, though Spyro smiled to himself at what dragon would enjoy such a thing.

He crept towards the dragon-bath, spotting a large nozzle and a wooden lever right next to it. It looked capable of delivering a large volume of water over time. Spyro guessed that a dragon would be able to raise the temperature to their liking – though he presumed that it only applied to fire dragons. He spotted a large pipe jutting from the wall, though it wasn't visible from the outside; most likely inbuilt into the thick stone wall. He didn't spot anything like a toilet; he guessed that dragons would relieve themselves... elsewhere.

Shrugging, he decided to test out the wash-basin, which had a smaller nozzle but similar mechanism. Looking up, it was obviously it too high for him from the ground – thankfully there were enough wooden stalls to pull himself up to a comfortable position. He pulled the distant lever with a _click _while standing on three legs, a steady stream of cold water streamed upwards, and he quickly put his snout in its path, taking some through his mouth before he shut it off.

He froze when he looked up to see his reflection in the giant mirror. It just occurred to him that he hadn't seen himself since his first visit to the Valley of Avalar, and he couldn't help but feel inadequate. His muscles were lean and defined, but the rest of his body looked rather sickly and thin. He knew he hadn't been eating properly for a while – including the three years within the crystal – so he didn't pay that fact much heed. However, his scales were covered in a mixture of grime, dirt and blood that hadn't quite faded away, leaving his once lustrous scales looking rather dull. He also touched his claws and horns, and they felt more blunted than he remembered. For some inexplicable reason, he wanted to correct these blemishes as soon as possible, and set to splashing himself with more liquid with a wing.

'Spyro, what's taking you so long?'

Spyro blinked at the sound of his brother's voice, and realised the front half of his head was buried in a pool of water. Feeling rather foolish, he shut off the stream and let it drain away, but Sparx flew between the drapes before he finished, staring at his brother oddly.

'What... are you doing?'

Spyro opened his mouth, but couldn't think of a convincing answer. 'I... I'm not sure, Sparx. Forget about it.'

Sparx examined him with concern. 'I dunno... looked like you were trying to drown yourself.'

'I wasn't!' Spyro protested. 'Let's just go, alright? Is Cynder awake yet?'

Sparx shook his head, though with disappointment or relief, Spyro couldn't tell. 'Not yet, but I'm all ready to go. How 'bout you?'

They leapt down the staircase carefully, and arrived to see Cynder yawning into her pillow, her emerald eyes examining them drearily. 'Uh... what time is it, Spyro?'

'Time to get up.' Sparx stated shortly, causing her to squint at his glimmering shape.

'Is that... Sparx?'

He smiled warmly at her as he approached. 'Sure is.'

She smiled back, but was unsure what else to do, sitting there awkwardly. Sparx broke the silence as he looked to his brother.

'You kept your promise. I... I knew you would.' He smiled at her warmly. 'You're... alright, Cynder.'

She glanced away in slight embarrassment. 'Well... thanks, Sparx. You did your job well too, it seems. Where's Hunter, and everyone else?'

Sparx nodded. 'Our group came in last night. Some dragons might be next door right now! Who knows?'

Spyro quickly raised his head to peek outside, and cleared his throat. 'Cynder, Clauk's waiting at the gate now. We should get going.'

Cynder gave a small groan but quickly fell into step beside the brothers as they pushed one of the large doors open. Awaiting them, Clauk greeted them cheerfully, this time without his armour, and his eyes showed faint shadows below them.

'Hm... morning! Sleep well?'

Spyro nodded sheepishly. 'Yeah... but like you said, it takes some getting used to.'

Cynder examined him carefully. 'You look like you didn't sleep much at all. Did something happen?'

Clauk couldn't help but yawn widely with faint tears at the edges of his eyelids. 'Don't... worry about it; it was for a worthy cause. I stayed up until all the evacuees from Warfang returned... so I only got a couple of hours.'

Spyro, Cynder and Sparx looked to each other with relief. 'They're all back! Finally!'

Sparx then raised a brow quizzically from behind his brother's head. 'Who's this guy?'

'Oh, I beg your pardon.' Clauk gave a small bow. 'I didn't get a chance to meet you, Sparx, but it's an honour to meet the purple dragon's brother.'

Sparx stared at him warily. 'Seriously? For real? No dragon's said that to me before.'

Clauk simply smiled, and looked down to the young dragons expectantly, before turning and loosening his wings. 'Can you all fly? Terrador and the Guardians are already in session with Mason, but they'll be a while yet – so there's no hurry if you want to stop on the way.'

Cynder flexed her wings and gave a pleased grunt, the ache from before almost gone. She spoke up quickly. 'Actually – can we get a snack? I'm not sure how it usually works around here, but I'm starving.'

Sparx raised a hand. 'I could use a butterfly.' Spyro opened his mouth, but Sparx quickly cut him off with a small shove. 'And a big salad for Spyro here.'

Spyro rolled his eyes, but Clauk simply grinned. 'I'm sure the market will have enough meat for you two. As for bugs... well, you could try your luck with the nearby gardens? Bug populations would mean healthy plants all around, hopefully.'

Sparx was happily silent as Spyro and Cynder opened their wings and followed Clauk in a hover-glide over the market district. After a couple of minutes, Clauk broke into a gradual dive at the sight of fish being strung up, and all of their stomachs lurched hungrily at the salty smell; including Sparx.

A mole merchant was moving baskets of more fish when he spotted his awaiting customers. 'Ah! Clauk again. And... my goodness! Spyro and Cynder! How can I help you?'

Sparx grimaced miserably as if to say '_what about me?' _as Clauk pointed to the three of them with one wing. 'We would appreciate a snack each, Kodar – the usual.'

'You bet!' Kodar ducked inside his small stall and using a pair of tongs, unloaded a smoking metal tray with freshly-roasted salmon upon long skewers. 'Take as many as you want – on the house.'

'Seriously?' Spyro asked in disbelief.'I feel bad taking your pickings like this...'

'Nonsense!' Kodar objected heartily, pounding his chest respectfully. 'It's a fine time to be generous, young dragons.' He smiled up at Cynder too. 'Don't be surprised if you get free produce regularly, at least for a while. The economy needs some sorting out before we need to worry about prices and whatnot.'

Cynder gave him a stunned look before he raised a skewer in offering to her, while Spyro and Clauk had already taken theirs. 'Eat up, young dragon! No need to be embarrassed; you two are growing adolescents, after all.'

'Um... thanks.' Cynder managed to smile and take in the scent of her fish before she began ripping fleshy chunks off the morsel whilst holding it in one paw.

As Kodar sent them off with a wave, Sparx folded his arms impatiently as he hovered after them. 'Clauk, you said something about gardens?'

Clauk still had a mouthful and simply raised his head up to their left, signalling the presence of rows and rows of aligned plants, with many ripe fruit being picked by mole workers. Amongst the rows of plants, Sparx was drawn in by the familiar flecks of lopsided wings.

'Butterflies – come to papa!'

'Don't eat too many!' Clauk warned. 'If you do, there might not be as many next season.'

Whether the dragonfly heard, they didn't know, as his gold glow sped between the leaves faster than their eyes could follow. They waited a few minutes; Clauk managing a few winks of sleep, and Sparx thankfully refrained from catching too many just as they finished their fish. Spyro and Cynder burned their leftovers to a crisp while Clauk simply ground the remains between and shovelled them down; somewhat uncomfortably. After swallowing, he glanced at the trio expectantly.

'I presume you're all ready?' At their unfurled wings on either side of him, he nodded with approval. 'Very well. Let's...' He stifled a yawn. 'Let's go.'

* * *

Mason stroked his small furry goatee as he observed the deliberations before him, within the Grand Hall. He remembered feeling the familiar sense of awe that never left him whenever he climbed those steps. The Hall's exterior was only adorned with one figure – a pair of great feathered wings gleaming with colours of the rainbow which were visible at different angles. The wings were slightly folded on either side, filling the walls with their presence. Only the main doors contained the creature's body –like a bird's, but its tail feathers were many and spread over the entire lower section of the design. Its head was by far the smallest part of its body, but by no means the least noticeable – its eyes carefully cut from rare sapphires that he'd had donated himself. To this day, he'd never regretted the mutual friendship between the moles and dragons, though right now, some of that friendship seemed under strain.

Several of his co-workers were presenting their summary of the level of damage to the city and the potential costs to repair them. They were more than a little disgruntled with the situation – with an odd feeling that their sworn allies weren't making themselves as useful as they could, along with their seemingly absent people; but Mason knew that most were needed out in battle.

'We have already finished the infrastructure repairs,' one chief engineer began, '... and the dragons benefit from this just as much as we do! If things are going to work around here, the dragons will need to pull their weight, coming out of a war or not.'

Cyril maintained a civil tone throughout the discussion. 'You understand, as well as we do, what the moles have done in sheltering and catering to our needs for war. We didn't want innocent moles to lose their lives in battle; that which we dragons are clearly further suited to.'

Volteer cleared his throat immediately at the scowls Cyril received. 'What he means to say is that we fully intend to repay our debt to the moles – the only question is the means to do so.'

As they began to discuss the burden of resources, Mason nonchalantly examined the hall's interior and the large stone pedestals on either side upon which the workers had dumped some of their charts and figures. The hall itself extended for quite a length down the middle, large lancet windows projecting beams of sunlight down through the hallway like a sunlight ladder. The windows themselves were five times the height of an adult dragon; though Mason had always wondered why the hall needed to be so tall, given that dragons didn't often fly inside. One enormous rose window, spokes of coated ceramic colours projecting outwards in a large disc, gave way to the rolling hills down from the Warfang's peak, though Mason rarely got to see it given his stature. The stonework all over the building was significantly more lustrous than that of the rest of the city's – giving it the look of a massive polished urn.

The stage the three Guardians stood upon contained several alcoves marked only by the now unlit torch pillars on the edges of the curved wall. There looked to be six alcoves arranged in a gentle arc, presumably for the Guardians to face the audience at the same time. Oddly enough, each round platform was large enough to fit two large dragons comfortably, making them partially filled by their current occupants. The steps leading up to the alcoves gave the large dragons an intimidating posture even to their brethren of similar size; though Mason and his co-workers had been here enough times to resist this mental effect. The Guardians had taken their places in odd standing positions, where Terrador was on the fifth alcove from the left, Cyril the second, and Volteer on the very right. The two central alcoves – that of Light and Dark – had been vacant for Mason's entire lifetime; a fact that left him immovably sympathetic to their race; and was only amplified at Ignitus being absent from the first alcove now after the war.

'The main problem can possibly be solved with salvaging,' Terrador rumbled gently. 'We can set to work gathering the rubble others cannot move, and with time and effort, mould them into the proper shapes to be fit for reconstruction. As for finding more, given that some would be unsalvageable... we can send teams into the wilderness to other ruins and gather stone from them. Any future settlements will take priority after Warfang is restored.' He frowned with resolution. 'Right now, gathering the races here and restoring stability to the continent should be our most immediate task.'

Cyril and Volteer looked pleased, and even most of the dozen engineers looked satisfied with the answer. Mason nodded with approval at the proposal.

'An apt decision. However, you will need our help in order to cut the stone into the right dimensions. There's a reason Warfang has stood for so long, and I intend to keep it that way.'

'Agreed.'

The unanimous grunts from the Guardians signified an end to this meeting, for now. The engineers couldn't help but smile with relief knowing that they wouldn't have much work in the immediate future, at least until the dragons had finished with molding stone. Their underlings could handle the simple task of giving measurements to the earth dragons.

Mason had the inkling that he should stay and accompany the dragons with their future meetings. On the way, he saw another group already lining up for an audience, and from the tired looks the Guardians displayed, he knew they would appreciate any friendly support.

'Mind if I stay, my fellows?' He squeaked up at them from the base of the stairs. 'You look like you've worked an entire day in the underground pressure forge.'

'Waging a war, then dealing with its aftermath... will produce a similar effect, I imagine.' Volteer stretched his body achingly. 'Though not to the degree of eviscerations and numerous burns. Really, this is not at all what I'm used to. I'd much rather chat about lightning storms, low pressure systems, or even gossip! All this is too... serious, and coupled with the strenuous tasks and expectations of an entire city is unbecoming for only a trio of leaders... Oh, how I wish for a long period submerged in the bath basin...!'

'Well, deal with it.' Cyril responded sharply. 'We have to do our best as the only leaders this city has.'

After a couple of minutes, Mason looked towards the door warily as the massive stone doors opened up by the guards on either side. 'Looks like the next group awaits your counsel. I believe they were dragons...'

The two small figures, one even smaller flying beside, caused him to stare. 'Not... those dragons...'

'Spyro?' Terrador murmured breathlessly. 'And his friends... they're together again.'

Mason covered his hat from the burst of air as the three dragons recklessly leapt off their alcoves to meet the new arrivals before they got too far, Spyro beaming as he looked up at them, leaving Cynder and Sparx to watch the scene.

'I'm... we're back.'

The Guardians were speechless for a few moments, seeing him alive and well after disappearing through the Belt of Fire. Eventually, Terrador stepped forward and lowered his head to Spyro's, lowering a wing to touch Spyro's crest gently.

'Welcome back, Spyro.' He raised his head again to smile over at Cynder and Sparx. 'And we have you two to thank as well! Though Sparx has been with us already...' When Cynder hesitated, Volteer beckoned awkwardly with his wing as well as a claw. 'Come now, young dragon, there's nothing to fear from friends.'

Cynder managed to crack a smile before approaching alongside Spyro. 'You'll forgive me if I'm not used to... sappy reunions.'

'Ah... nonsense.' Cyril objected somewhat jokingly. 'We've still got some serious business to attend to.' He eyed the two dragons sympathetically. 'We need to know what transpired, you two. How did you defeat Malefor? What happened up there?'

* * *

Everyone had sat on their haunches except Sparx, rooted in place by the tale. Spyro and Cynder retold their sombre trip through the Desolate Lands, their trip through the Floating Islands, the battle with Malefor, and worst of all, Ignitus' sacrifice. At this, Spyro had to stop talking for a moment, unable to coherently form a sentence after Ignitus was left behind in the impenetrable wall of fire. The three Guardians bowed their heads solemnly, well knowing how Spyro looked up to him.

Volteer looked uncharacteristically morbid, keeping his eyes closed and his face low to the floor even after Cyril and Terrador recovered. 'Ignitus... may you find peace among the Ancestors greatest...'

He stayed like that for a few more moments, to the point where Cyril lowered his head alongside him. 'You doing well there, Volteer old chum?'

'I'm... I'm fine.' He murmured, exhaling heavily, finally raising his head and allowing Cynder to continue for a time, Spyro still peering at the floor.

As the two dragons recounted their battle with Malefor in detail, Sparx couldn't help but start biting on his fingers fearfully, especially when they began falling through the volcano and deeper into the planet's core. Cynder could have sworn he nearly fainted a couple of times.

'Um... Sparx?' She interrupted once Spyro had finished. 'We left you behind so you would be safe, not die of shock when we came back.'

'B-but, but... Malefor's not dead!? What's stopping him from back?'

The Guardians paused thoughtfully, though Volteer was quick to speak up.

'Fascinating... yet troubling.' He mused over the implications. 'It sounds like those original ancestors who first sealed Malefor's power away in the Well of Souls.'

Cyril nodded to himself. 'It could very well be. It sounded like a very close call, young dragons... without their spirits to help you; you wouldn't be here with us.'

Terrador frowned ever so slightly, his visage a stone mask. 'While we're all glad that you managed to seal away Malefor's power and reverse the world's destruction... this matter may not be completely resolved. The last time Malefor was defeated by his own mentors, he remained dormant for several centuries.'

'So how long will Malefor stay down in the planet's core?' Cyril couldn't help but ask agitatedly – to which Terrador shrugged heavily.

'For all we know, it could be mere decades. Or he may never escape from there at all. We may never know. However...' The Earth Guardian looked to Spyro hopefully. 'He's never been defeated by one of his own. What do you know of Malefor, Spyro? I can almost hear your brow furrowing.'

Spyro found himself going through his memories, sifting his own abilities and development in comparison to Malefor. While their abilities were very much similar, with Malefor having more advanced abilities, there is something that he never used. It also occurred to him that he hadn't told them of what he learned from the Chronicler three years ago, of the nature of Malefor.

'Malefor was the first purple dragon...' Spyro began quietly. 'That's why he's never been defeated by a predecessor.'

Cyril simply nodded expectantly. 'We figured as much... the books and scrolls we have left mention Malefor in this manner. Is there anything more you can tell us, young dragon?'

'When I met the Chronicler, he told me that Malefor was the first purple dragon. But Malefor said that there had been many purple dragons between me and him. There had to be, if the prophecy is to make sense in our entire history. I... I don't think the entire history of our race only spans ten generations. I saw the mountains of books on it! But what happened to those dragons?'

The Guardians could only peer at each other helplessly. 'We don't know, Spyro...' Terrador began. 'What we have mentions nothing about specific purple dragons. But what you say is true; our history spans many thousands of years. One dragon can live to be a thousand, after all. It is only another large chunk of lore lost to this madness.'

'Another thing...' Volteer wondered aloud. 'How... how in the Ancestor's name did you put the planet back together, Spyro?'

Spyro opened his mouth, but couldn't put his tail on it. Just how did he do it? The overwhelming sense of dread and hope he felt down there... and Cynder's comforting and fulfilling presence... his feelings alone, great as they were, weren't enough to explain what happened. One thing he did know; he'd never felt so sure of himself and what he was supposed to do, as if on instinct. There was only two other times he'd felt like that.

'I'm... not sure, Volteer. So much happened at once. I think I just... did it, like I knew I had to.'

Cyril closed his eyes thoughtfully. 'This... element, if you could call it that. Is there anything you can tell us? It might be the key to safeguarding our future against similar threats to Malefor.'

Spyro knew nothing about that... element, other than what he'd felt and seen. The Chronicler mentioned nothing of it; that Malefor didn't seem to use it either, the most potent element he had being that of Convexity. When using Convexity himself, Spyro felt flowing anger and adrenaline throughout his body. Whatever this was, it was the complete opposite. He'd felt calm and serene, with an overwhelming desire to protect the living around him.

'I'm not sure what it is, Cyril. But... I've used it before, I think. When we were trapped in the Mountain of Malefor – I think I may have used it to protect us three from the rubble coming down... as well as when I freed Cynder from Malefor the first time around.'

What the Guardians did next only confused Spyro. He could see in their eyes that they knew something about it too, and scrutinised him with what looked like... pride. Yet it seemed different to simply being proud of him... like their attention was directed at something far bigger. But they didn't speak of it.

Cynder cleared her throat sharply. 'So what can we do now?'

'Nothing, I'm afraid.' Spyro and Cynder were taken aback by Cyril's quick answer. 'The planet's core is sealed off. If we try to tamper with it using our powers, not only do we risk harming the entire world, but also Malefor escaping prematurely when the world is still in a fragile state. The way I see it, Malefor will not be escaping any time soon – a prison in the centre of the planet is far more secure than below a mountain subject to the moons' movements. Spyro will have plenty of time to grow and learn, and if need be, fight him on equal terms if he ever escapes.' At Spyro's appalled expression, he quickly interjected upon himself. 'But I'm hoping that won't be necessary, Spyro. Malefor's escape may never happen, or outside of your lifetime. It's not something we can dwell on now.'

That wasn't what Spyro was truly afraid of. 'Cyril, I'm... if I did fight Malefor again, are you saying I need to... kill him?'

Cyril nodded coldly. 'Yes, you must; it's the only way to safeguard the world's future.'

'But I'm not sure I could do that. It was hard enough for me when I killed Gaul. Another dragon...'

Cyril opened his mouth slightly, and studying the other Guardian's expressions, shared their realisation just how young Spyro and Cynder were. Having so much death and war forced upon them like this was never their intent, but it was needed for the world's sake. They all wished, inwardly, that Spyro and Cynder would live their lives normally from now on, though Malefor's shadow may never leave them.

'Well!' Volteer spoke up brightly, trying to change the subject. 'Like Cyril said, it's not something to dwell on now. And all this grim talk fatigues me. You three can go about your business to explore the city if you want. Or if you want to help with some work, Mason here can point you in the right direction. And if ever you find the need for food, and the market's selection won't satisfy you, feel free to go hunting, but make sure you have company. If you go at night, it may be a good idea to ask one of the dragon guards to accompany you. It can still be dangerous to roam the landscape at night when the remnants of our enemies may still be in hiding.' He glanced at the young dragons quickly. 'Were you two not wearing armour during your first time here?'

Cynder nodded, only just thinking about them leaving their invaluable equipment out in clear view in that house. 'Uh... yes, but we left them in our new house.'

Volteer nodded quickly over at the door, and they heard wings flapping. Spyro turned his head to see Clauk flying back in a hurry. 'What's he doing?'

'He's collecting your armour to deliver to the moles.' Terrador explained. 'You will likely use it again, correct? They'll do their best to restore them to a pristine state.'

Mason looked up and approached them, but Sparx eyed him rather tiredly. 'Can we talk about work some other time? I feel like I've been flying forever.' He looked to his two companions. 'What about you guys?'

Cynder nodded. 'It does feel a little soon to get right back to work...'

'I suppose you're right.' Spyro agreed hesitantly, eyeing the mole apologetically. 'Sorry, Mason.'

'Don't you worry about it.' Mason responded graciously. 'Just come to me when you're ready, or you can offer help to some of my workers around the city whenever you feel like putting your skills to use.'

Sparx looked between them uncertainly at the prospect of flying through the city willy-nilly. 'I'm not sure if you guys noticed, but we barely know how the city works. I can't believe I'm asking this, but can you teach us anything about how to... you know, do things?'

The Guardians simply chuckled before Terrador shook his head. 'When it comes to city life, young Sparx, it's best for you to explore and learn yourself. Go around, talk to people. They can point you in the right direction. In fact, they may be far better experts than we are. The Council and Guardians can be rather... detracted from normal life, you see.'

When everyone looked ready to retire, Cynder found herself rooted to the spot. Would these people really be so accepting of her being one of them so easily? They had been grossly nice to her despite her past, and part of her believed there was some sort of trickery involved. She had to know for sure.

'Wait!' The Guardians stopped in their tracks to look back at her. 'What's really going on here? Is everyone just going to forgive and forget... me? What I've done to them?'

The Guardians simply glanced at each other as if they knew this was coming. 'And what have you done to them, Cynder?' Cyril asked calmly.

She was a little put off by the odd question; she never wanted to think about it. 'I... I attacked them, their villages... maybe destroyed them or killed alongside the apes...'

'But you don't know for sure, do you?' The Ice Guardian asked again.

'I...' Cynder gulped nervously, forcing herself to calm down. 'No, I don't. And I don't want to, to be honest...'

'That's the mentality we've all taken with you, Cynder.' Terrador examined her sympathetically. 'Everyone knows that it wasn't your choice, and have seen fit to leave it in the past. Your current deeds for the world's sake, and for Spyro, have done more than enough to convince the people of Warfang of your allegiance and nobility. They are not so petty as to continue blaming you for things out of your control. No, your deeds were the Apes' and Malefor's doing, not your own.'

Cynder couldn't help but smile with relief. Though she doubted everyone in the city felt that way, it was good to know she wouldn't be hated by the majority of the populace. Perhaps Spyro's wish for her to live normally wasn't as far-fetched as she'd believed.

Terrador stepped forward and gently touched the tip of her forehead with his wing as he'd done to Spyro's crest, and she looked up at him gratefully.

'Thank you... all of you. It means a lot to hear you say that... it really does.'

Terrador simply smiled gently as he stepped back. But then he hastily made a shooing motion with a claw. 'Up and out, young ones! You've indulged our curiosities long enough. Go out and enjoy yourselves for once! Ancestors know you've earned it. Go on, get!'

* * *

Clauk was waiting for them patiently, though whether he had listened in from outside the door, they didn't know. He greeted them with another friendly smile as they exited the doors, watching another group of several dragons go in for their audience.

'So what are your plans now? I'd be happy to show you around a bit more before I report back to the Bastion.'

Spyro and Cynder smiled appreciatively as they thought. Spyro was quick to answer. 'I dunno about you guys, but I want to see the baths.'

Sparx could only snicker. 'Why? Drowning in a wash bowl not good enough for you?'

Cynder could only stare at them, perplexed. '... Did I miss something?'

'Just ignore him, Cynder.'

Clauk quickly nodded with approval. 'I'd guess you haven't had a real wash... well, not like the spring baths we have, let me tell you. Though, keep in mind it _is _a public place. Well, mostly...'

The three were confused by the odd looks he was giving them. '...what?' Cynder asked.

'Let's just say there are unspoken rules about composure within. There's a good reason that there are two separate areas... as the caretakers found out the hard way when they left the males and females to their... own devices.'

Sparx could only stare in shock while Spyro and Cynder's faces heated up exponentially. 'Hey! We weren't going to do anything like that!' Spyro spoke up hotly.

Clauk simply sniggered lightly. 'I didn't say you were.'

Sparx quickly stuck his tongue out. 'Eugh! Keep your weird delusions to yourself next time!'

The earth guard simply tapped his chin lightly. 'Mm... no, don't think I will.'

'Can we just go there, please?' Spyro tried to ask politely, despite his increased heartbeat.

'Certainly.' As Clauk turned around and approached the stone platform's edge overlooking the city, he nosed down towards a wide-brimmed, circular building nestled to their right amidst the surrounding gardens and stair ramps; its entrance area marked by a curved extension. Several external water fountains were visible even this high up. It was coloured rather strangely – most of the stone was a dark blue to reflect the colour of the ocean, but another section that looked like a joined cut-out of a concave face was separated and was coloured a much lighter shade of cyan. There were quite a few windows on the sides of the building, for good reason, Cynder guessed; considering it overlooked most of the lower city. There were also many large ceramic windows coating the top of its dome roof which looked to let in wide beams of sunlight. She looked forward to seeing what the interior looked like.

As they took off after Clauk, he began speaking to them as he turned his head. 'I think I'll take my leave of you here. It would be somewhat inappropriate for me to watch, and besides I have to return to my post. However...' He grinned hopefully. 'If ever you want a guide or questions, you're welcome to come to me! I live just outside the gate to the Earth district – you can recognise my house by my rock sculpture of an Orc! It's... well, pretty bad – but that's what makes it unique.'

Spyro nodded respectfully. 'Thank you for your help, Clauk. We'll visit if we have time.'

'... Which you probably won't; considering the trouble we get ourselves into.' Sparx finished for him.

Clauk nodded happily as he veered off to the left. 'I look forward to it!'

'Uh... bye!' Cynder called back a little awkwardly as he flew off.

As they glided down in silence for a while, Spyro couldn't but smile.

'He's nice.'

Sparx nodded half-heartedly. 'Yeah... a bit too nice, if you ask me. I think he's stalking us.'

Cynder snorted. 'Now who's delusional?'

Sparx rolled his eyes. 'Speaking of delusional... Spyro, why do you care about having a bath all of a sudden? I had to put up with your stench for years! Why bother changing now?'

'I told you before, Sparx, forget it.'

'Well I'd rather now what brought on the sudden change, smelly.'

Cynder grimaced with amusement as she glanced between them. 'I'd like to know too, Spyro.'

Spyro groaned reluctantly. 'It's just... when I looked in the mirror this morning, I felt so... weird, seeing my scales look so dirty. I can't explain why I want to wash them, apart from simply being clean. I know it feels like more than that, but... I just need this, OK?'

Cynder nodded. 'Sounds fair enough. I didn't get a look at myself, though I can guess I've been neglecting my own hygiene in the face of... an entire war. Oh yeah, and three years in a crystal.'

Sparx could only emit a _hmph_ and as they neared the bath dome, they picked up speed in their descent, leaving Sparx lagging behind. They eyed the large adornment of a Leviathan, a three-flippered turtle creature, lying majestic in its oceanic artwork, surrounded by a disc of flowing waves. Though Spyro remembered them being smaller and lighter coloured; this one was a far deeper blue, with quite a large, wide head; its tail also quite wide and long for a Leviathan.

They slowed and landed lightly on the carving and; despite its exposure to sunlight, the surface felt cool to the touch. The stonework surrounding them on the ground was a pure white compared to the orange of the rest of the city – which explained its relative temperature.

The entrance was fashioned after an oval-topped arch with a gold rim. Just inside, they could see evidence of hot baths just from the steam that was pouring out occasionally. They spotted a large, rectangular opening to their left embedded in the wall; it looked like the caretaker's post, but they couldn't see him or her, wherever they were. Though given its size, it could contain a dragon – and there were multiple rooms on either side.

_That must be how they tolerate the heat – by letting air through their little room._

Spyro ventured forward first, sniffing the air to see if there were other dragons around. There didn't seem to be, but he caught a whiff of mole scent and another creature that he didn't recognise.

When Sparx finally caught up, they passed through the arch to be hit with an invisible blanket of humidity, causing Sparx to visibly grunt and spit. Cynder's eyes darted around the large room on their left, with quite a few shelves and a low stone barrier contained that came up to their necks.

'Hello?' Spyro asked uncertainly. 'We'd like to use the baths, please.'

Their eyes widened when a tall, furry creature with beady brown eyes raised its head from behind the stall. Its tall neck and heavily furred body were recognised quickly by Spyro and Sparx, but Cynder had never seen an Atlawa before. This one seemed a bit more slender than Kane, the male they had met years ago, and its mane was cream-coloured, along with white streaks in the place of Kane's grey.

'Oh! Welcome!' Her voice was quite high-pitched, like she was scared out of a hiding place. 'New dragons... and a dragonfly. Wait... aah!'

At seeing Cynder, she ducked behind the stall again, covering her head as avoiding a skyward threat. 'Hey!' Spyro crept up on the stall with his front legs to look at her worriedly. 'It's alright! No one's going to hurt you.'

'Forgive me...' She exhaled a few times before studying them, especially Cynder. 'My name's Karrina... I was just overcome by a bad memory – Spyro, Cynder.'

Sparx stared at her in disbelief, motioning subtly to himself with one hand. 'Aaaaand...?'

Karrina glanced at the dragonfly flatly. 'And what?'

Sparx looked momentarily horrified. 'How about the Almighty Sparx? God of Tall Plains?'

Cynder snickered to herself as Karrina examined the dragonfly with contempt. 'Ah, you must be that annoying mosquito I've heard so much about. Not much of it good.'

When Sparx went off grumbling to himself, Cynder piped up guardedly. 'What was that memory, if I may ask?'

'Oh...' Karrina gave a startled look over their heads, bringing a paw to her chin. '...it's just hard to forget a giant, screeching dragon flying overhead with those ugly ape brutes rampaging throughout your home.'

Cynder stifled a sad sigh, but glanced at the floor solemnly. 'It was me, wasn't it? Leading the Apes? That's why I scared you.'

Karrina seemed to forget her memory quickly, as she shrugged and scrutinised her with fascination. 'Maybe. But I must say your new look is quite an improvement. Not that I had a good view of you before, anyhow.' At Cynder's hurt expression, she waved her hand fleetingly. 'Don't you worry. I'm perfectly aware of what you are now, as opposed to what you were before. You helped save the world, after all.'

Spyro lowered his body to look around. 'We'd like to use the baths for dragons, if we could?'

Karrina beamed enthusiastically, despite Cynder's morbid mood. 'Ah, of course! I could point you to the appropriate places, if you'd like. The largest bath here for dragons may be a bit too deep for your liking.'

'Where's that?' Cynder asked, still trying to filter her own memory, prompting Karrina to slide a stone section outwards and step out with them. She was twice Spyro's height, easily able to see most of the different steaming pools with it. The first thing they noticed was the thick wall running down the middle, from one side to the other, dividing the dome into two halves.

Karrina pointed down at the large half-moon bath before them, a light and clear blue in contrast to the surrounding, smaller pools. 'This is the main pool, where most dragons congregate to wash and relax. It doesn't really have any restrictions... although I do discourage other mammals like myself to use it unless they are with some dragon companions.' She raised her head to glance up at the round ceiling, where they spotted steam being collected as drops as they rose to the very centre; a constant dripping into something behind the wall.

'There is another wall like this dividing the opposite half into two quarters, for male and female mammals. Or people that wear clothes. I would definitely avoid that area unless a mammal friend of yours brings you here and they'd rather have some privacy from other dragons.'

Sparx frowned uncomfortably as she eyed the edges of the round building, noting the translucent glass walls that separated the main baths from a series of smaller pools dotting the rim. The wall divided frequently to allow the main bath a view through some windows too, but these smaller pools looked like they had the best view. Spyro was still able to spot one pool big enough for an adult dragon, though.

'We don't have lifeguards, yet... given the recent war and its effects on economy and whatnot. Though I'm not sure we need them.' She tapped her chin thoughtfully. 'Apart from that...' She turned back to the trio. 'Just use common sense and don't dive in a pool too deep for you, especially if you can't swim. But I haven't yet met a dragon who can't. It's somewhat natural for you, I imagine.' She smiled fondly. 'You're kind of like thick serpents with wings and legs, I guess.'

Spyro and Cynder glanced at each other, not sure if they should be insulted or not. They waited for more, but got silence.

'That's it?' Spyro asked uncertainly. 'Nothing else?'

'Of course!' Karrina went back to her stall, eyeing Sparx for a moment. 'Don't let that dragonfly of yours drown, though. I don't think we've got any pools suitable for his size.'

Spyro and Cynder gave one glance to each, before Spyro grinned to himself. 'Let's go then! Sparx, where do you want...?'

Cynder rolled her eyes as she ventured off to the left to look through the smaller pools while Spyro searched for Sparx, whose trail indicated he went ahead in a similar direction. Spyro quickly found him hovering over one with an odd, bright yellow hue. Spyro couldn't help but grin at the different colours in each of the small pools as opposed to the large one's ocean blue.

_I wonder how they make these colours?_

'Sparx... you like that one just because it's yellow?'

Sparx objected with a flat frown. 'Hey, just because no one likes my colour, doesn't mean I can't!'

'C'mon, Sparx, don't be like that.'

Cynder quickly rounded back to them and glanced at the pool regretfully. 'I don't think that one's big enough for all of us...'

Sparx groaned to himself loudly, but Cynder ignored him and eyed the next one; a near crystal clear one, with interest. 'I'll settle for this one, you two.'

Spyro dipped a paw into the yellow water, and shrunk back instantly. He'd never felt such a high temperature of water before. He dipped it gradually again, and eventually slid the rest of his body down into the pool like a limp serpent. He found Karrina was correct; it did feel oddly natural to propel his body around the tiny body of water. After a few twirls of his body around the pool, he yawned and resigned himself to floating belly-up against one of the pool's edges. He felt his muscles instantly relax and much of the tension of questions running through his head before simply evaporate. He eyed his brother who was watching him a mixture of disbelief and disgust... from above his head. Spyro grinned.

'Sparx, you've got to try this!'

His urging didn't faze the dragonfly. 'I'm in no hurry to drown myself. Where would I go, anyway? I might fall asleep at the edge and drown... and you're all limp, so you wouldn't even help me if I did.'

Spyro turned his head slightly, and didn't see any area for Sparx to enter safely. Then he got an idea. 'How about you land in my paws? I can make a smaller bath for you.'

Sparx seemed intrigued by the idea, but still looked sceptical. 'I dunno...'

'C'mon, Sparx. Trust me.'

After a few moments, Sparx let his shoulders slump. 'Uh... fine. But don't ask me to clean those filthy claws of yours!'

Spyro watched Cynder fluidly rotate in her own pool for a few moments, and then got to work getting himself cleaned properly and all over his body.

* * *

After bathing for about an hour, the trio returned to their house and began organising sleeping spots for the three of them. There were a couple of cozy bedrooms on the lower floor to start with. The one on the upper level opposite the bathroom was a little larger, but seemed more of a guest room than anything else. Within all of them, enormous circular beds with several cushions stacked on one end were positioned against the wall, while fully set up in the lower rooms. Cynder took the first on the right coming into the entrance after the living room, while Spyro and Sparx took the second at the edge of the building. They visited Kodar that evening for another snack for dinner, this time baked deer venison, and after setting up their respective bedrooms, set themselves to retire for the night.

Spyro curled up on the scarlet-draped bed, filling only a small amount of the entire bedroll. It felt soothing having his brother and Cynder living in the same house, which was far more comfortable than he imagined. As he felt sleep begin to overcome him, his eyes darted around the bedroom to examine the few items that may have belonged to the previous occupant. There was a large bone claw-sharpener against the wall next to the curtained door, bathed by the sunset light from the window behind them; a tattered, unused calendar hung high up on its wall, and a large helmet. It was plain, gold plate with a single large spike jutting from its forehead which looked to cover a dragon's face above the jaw. There was something familiar about it, but Spyro was too tired to think about it now, but... sadness welling in his gut at the sight of the armour. The colour, and battered frame, were all too familiar.

_Ignitus... I miss you..._

Spyro fell asleep with faint tears in his eyes.


	5. An Earth Pod

Chapter 4

An Earth Pod

* * *

Cynder woke to the sound of chirping birds nearby. Despite the early hour, she couldn't get back to sleep even as she heard the birds fly off.

She frowned into her black velvet cushion. Thoughts of Karrina and her people ran through her head, continually wondering exactly what she'd done to them.

_She seemed rather forgiving and didn't snap at me or shy away from me... apart from seeing me again. Spyro called them the Atlawa, and that he and Sparx had rescued Cyril from... me. The Atlawa had gone into hiding, and the Apes captured some and shipped them off somewhere...' _she thought with revulsion at their fate._ 'How many lives did I end up there? How many slaves did I create? How many-'_

She quickly shook her head, resorting to knocking her skull with one paw. _Snap out of it, Cynder! Remember what Terrador said. _She sighed heavily as she got to her feet. _No use sitting around._

Creeping quietly, she moved through the doorway and spared a peek at Spyro and Sparx, smiling as they were still dozing comfortably. This, she felt, was where he belonged; in company of friends in a place where he could make a difference. She could only hope that they would make more friends throughout the city as long as they remained.

As she lowered the curtain and trotted out the door, she heard the faint sounds of hammers reaching metal and rock. Curious, she followed the sound out the nearby arch, and found the source just beyond the marketplace. Several large buildings, the foremost being circular, were being rebuilt by hand with many moles and several dragons working together. She guessed that the first building had been a temple of some sort, as many cylindrical columns were arranged in a wide circle around what seemed to be an altar, but most of it was either obscured by the scaffolds or simply gone. On the stone platform containing the buildings' foundations, several earth dragons grouped together, closely examining a large paper chart plastered up against a standing stone wall.

As one, the half-dozen dragons spoke a few words, and eyed a pile of rubble that had been gathered in a divot between two raised platforms, wide and well cleared of anything but the pavement beneath. The dragons flew to positions equidistant around the rubble, forming a hexagon formation. At the same time, they all began charging earth energy between their jaws; something Cynder saw Spyro do frequently in battle. Then they all released their projectiles at once, shattering the large pieces of rubble into multiple pieces, and the contained pit prevented most from flying out. Two pieces managed to come free but the dragons simply smashed them back down with their front claws. They repeated this procedure until the individual pieces were small enough to fit into the thin columns that made up the temple behind them. She expected them to somehow move the rubble and form new columns. Instead, the two furthest stamped their feet to the ground, prompting the sound of scraping rock just underground, and the entire slab of stone beneath the rubble opened into a ramp, sending the pieces tumbling down into the pit gleaming red, before the stone slab slid upwards as if on a large hinge.

_That's amazing! I didn't know earth dragons could do that._

She didn't see those pieces of rubble again, but she guessed they were being melted down or worked into the right building blocks underground; most likely by some moles and maybe fire dragons.

_Maybe I should lend a claw. I know Spyro deserves a break, but... I don't think I found it as enjoyable as he did. The bath was nice, but I felt like I stayed too long... guess this couldn't hurt._

'Excuse me?' She called out to the moles as she approached from the steps below. 'Would you like some help?'

A pair of moles on ladders were fitting the next scaffold into place atop a column, but they didn't seem to hear her. When she got closer and repeated herself, they glanced at her through curious beady, before she received toothy smiles.

'Of course! A dragon's help is always welcome.'

Cynder gave an inward sigh of relief, half-expecting them to fall off at the sight of her. 'Great! So...what do I do?'

The smaller worker on the left pointed over at the previous earth dragons, who were now working together to move columns into place. 'You can help them move the columns around. There're many similar attachments to do today, and with your help we could get more done.'

'OK...' Cynder took a deep breath as she approached the dragons. '...here I go.'

* * *

Spyro was having a very relaxing dream of flying when his eardrums began stinging from a constant buzzing noise. Opening his eyes, he was bemused to see Sparx staring right into one.

'...Spyro! Spyro! Wake up! Wake up! Sp–'

Spyro shook his head free of his insect brother, groaning miserably as he stretched his legs and wings. 'Did you have to wake me up? I miss my dream already, Sparx.'

Sparx was waving his arms as if being chased by a Takk Frog. Spyro could sympathise; those brightly coloured dragonfly-hunters gave him his own fair share of nightmares as a kid in the swamp back home. 'It's an emergency, Spyro!' An emergency I tell you!'

'What is?'

'My dream! Or... a nightmare!'

Spyro frowned sympathetically and sat down. 'What did you see, Sparx?'

Sparx looked around shiftily to make sure no one was listening, shoulders hunched, before whispering into his ear. 'That Karrina – is _crazy._'

Spyro opened his jaw in surprise, before sighing – wondering to himself who the real _crazy_ was. 'Sparx, we saw her yesterday. And you didn't even get close to drowning; don't pretend you did. And before you say it; she's _not _crazy just because she doesn't worship you.'

'I beg to differ.' Sparx raised a nostril in annoyance. 'But that's not the half of it! She was watching us. Creepily.'

Spyro raised a brow in disbelief. 'What? You're imagining things.'

'I mean it, Spyro! Come on, why else would she put her office thingy on the _male _side?'

'Because she's a female?'

'Exactly!'

Spyro raised a palm to his forehead, unable to comprehend he was having such a ridiculous argument. Not that he intended to lose.

'Sparx, she's an Atlawa! Maybe the only one in Warfang – so it's not what you're thinking.'

Sparx simply nodded slowly. 'Yes... which only makes her _more_ creepy.'

Spyro could only stare back. 'You have a really weird imagination, Sparx.'

'Now _that _we can agree on.'

'Ugh... let's just go.' As he approached Cynder's door, he listened but couldn't hear her breathing. 'Cynder? You awake?'

When there was no answer or sound, they poked their head through the scarlet curtain. 'Huh. She must have left early.'

Spyro quickly pondered what to do for the day. He wanted to start on a book today, but it felt too early in the day for that. He wanted to explore more of the city with Cynder and Sparx, but they would have to find Cynder first. Then he remembered that Hunter had arrived but they hadn't met up with each other since everyone had returned to the city.

'Hey, Sparx. Let's go find Hunter! I haven't seen him in a while.'

Sparx simply let out a groan when he looked out the window, scanning the walls for a sign of the cheetah warrior's shadow. 'Well, I suppose if you need to see him. But he has a habit of finding you first – especially when you don't want to find him. This'll be harder than you think, Spyro.'

* * *

Cynder found working with the earth dragons rather enjoyable. She helped them balance the tall columns to fit into their drilled holes deep through the stone slab as they slid them down, and they stuck well as the inside was coated with an extremely sticky, grey substance. Given her balance in flying, the earth dragons were happy with the progress they'd made as they weren't nearly as adept at hovering in position for long periods of time. And it was not unpleasant for her to be working with muscular adult drakes in full view at all times, either.

'Cynder! Fellas!' The chief mole waved to them from the scaffolding's base. 'You've earned a short break. Come on down for some fried skinks we cooked up!'

The earth dragons lowered their respective stonework carefully, then clambered forward together almost like chicks being fed seeds. Cynder eyed the tiny morsels hungrily between her co-workers' broad shoulders. While only a snack, they tasted richer than the fish and venison she'd gotten before, filling her mouth with a spicy but pleasing tang. Once she took her share, she sat herself slightly away from the others under the shade of an overhanging tree over cool stone. However, she was slightly taken aback when a couple of the earth dragons came over and sat near her, but not too close. They seemed to be brothers, the eldest looking over her with approval.

'Thanks for your help today, Cynder. I was a little afraid of you at first, but it seems that Ignitus was right about you.'

Cynder raised her eyes from her mouthful. 'What exactly did Ignitus say about me these past years?'

The younger dragon spoke up in a lower voice. 'He said that you and Spyro's fates were bound together; that he knew from listening to the Chronicler. So... I guess we're all aware of the suffering you went through, and that you tried to take responsibility by leaving. Even though that decision mightn't have been the best, in the end...'

His brother cut him off, examining Cynder's wings enthusiastically. 'You're pretty good at flying. Could it be because you're a wind dragon?'

Cynder blinked thoughtfully. 'I'm... not exactly sure. I could be, I guess...'

'You know, wind dragons are actually female earth dragons.'

'What?' Cynder stared at them in disbelief. 'You're joking, right? I can't be an earth dragon.'

His brother seemed a little taken aback. 'You didn't have to spring it like that.'

Cynder had the sudden urge to get away from them, though from being crept out or wanting answers about her lineage, she wasn't sure. But the way the elder blabbed, she was wary of being told more than she wanted to know right now. However, they were quickly interrupted by the sound of feathered wings quickly approaching.

Seeing a large raptor incoming, beak diving towards them, she drew her paws around what was left of her snack. The falcon didn't seem to notice as it landed lightly on its feet, eyeing Cynder directly as if expecting something.

She grimaced restlessly. 'I'm not giving you the lizard! Wait... you're Hunter's!'

'What's that cheetah want with you?' The elder brother asked, but Cynder got up hurriedly in an effort to move on.

'Sorry, can't explain. Hunter needs me for something.'

Without another word, Talon screeched and leapt up a few feet to hover in the air as Cynder followed. They both flew riding the wind and gliding down the tiers, leaving Cynder expending almost no energy by the time she saw Hunter's figure on the tall ramparts. She smiled, having not seen him since a brief hello yesterday.

'Hunter! Did you send for me?' She called as she landed next to him, surveying the grassland before them. Hunter nodded to her as he let the falcon land on his shoulder. He quickly turned his attention to the grassland.

'I've just detected... the scent of dragons on the wind.' He closed his eyes and sniffed, his pointy ears twitching ever so slightly. 'They may be more survivors. We'll need a party to greet them and show them to appropriate housing.'

Still gripped by the desire to make herself useful, Cynder pushed herself to volunteer. She could leave a good impression by being a friendly face around the city, after all.

'I could do that.'

Hunter shook his head reluctantly. 'I'm afraid that may not be wise – I can also smell the scent of blood and weapons. It is all too possible they have brought trouble with them.'

Cynder involuntary flinched, not at all looking forward to hearing about more lives being lost. Still, she needed to help them if she could. 'What should I do then?'

'Given your skill, Cynder, you may want to stay up here or down in the front courtyard, just in case.' He scanned the horizon again, and widened his eyes. 'Dragons... as I thought. The Guardians will want to see them in. Talon' – he brushed his companion's wing gently – 'fetch at least one of the Guardians. They'll want to see the first arrivals from the outside world.'

Talon blinked once, then launched himself, flapping his powerful wings to rise towards the Grand Hall. Cynder remained standing there, wondering with a sense of dread the hardships these dragons had gone through, and would no doubt share when they arrived.

Hunter frowned with slight confusion. By now, if they had pursuers, he would be able to detect the specific scent of grublins. The aerial pod was close enough for him to see they were mostly earth dragons, though their colouring was sometimes unfamiliar. The largest dragon at the forefront was a striking shade of turquoise that he'd never seen before. Several of the dragons following it were a similar colour, some almost blue with a slight tinge of green. As they got closer, he watched with amusement the reaction of the guards. From their wide open stares and open jaws, he guessed the pod was almost exclusively female. With slight disappointment, he estimated their numbers at only two dozen. He raised his paw.

'Open the front gates! They have arrived.'

Cynder couldn't help but claw her way to the edge of the ramparts for a better look at the pod, who were now landing one-by-one and walking with heavy hints of exhaustion. She couldn't help but stare at the lead dragoness in admiration; her scales glistened with several reflective colours between blue and green, and her wing membranes were sky blue. Her membranes were whole and pristine with no tears or holes like so many males had. She wondered if they'd ever fought a battle, but given the dragoness's noble stature, she didn't doubt she could hold her own. She had three pairs of thin horns with a slight upward curve, all cream white and only adding to her regal demeanour with the crown-like formation.

Cynder froze when, while making sure the rest went through the gates and accounted for, the dragoness looked up directly at her. Her eyes were the colour of a sunset, showing a warm and gentle gaze behind it. She felt no hostility or fear from her.

She had to talk to her. She needed to know who she was.

They were interrupted from the procession as Clauk glided down and landed next to them. 'I saw dragons coming down. What's the situation, Hunter?'

Hunter gave one final sniff, his ears curling back with displeasure. 'These dragons look exhausted, like they were being hunted as they flew. Yet I still cannot detect their pursuers.'

Cynder glanced at him hopefully. 'Maybe they lost them?'

Hunter narrowed his eyes, still gazing at the horizon. 'I'd like to believe that, Cynder. But my instincts tell me otherwise.'

Clauk nudged Cynder's shoulder. 'Come, let's go meet them.'

Cynder nodded enthusiastically as they left Hunter on the wall, still watching for his perceived threat. With the gates shut, the pod visibly relaxed at having reached safety. All except the lead, who seemed like-minded with Hunter, given her expression.

'Whoa.'

Cynder couldn't help but roll her eyes at Clauk's face. Were all earth drake like this?

The dragoness raised her great head at their arrivals, immediately turning to address them.

'Greetings. Thank you for allowing us in so freely.'

'It's... it's nothing.' Clauk managed to stammer. Cynder gave a soft groan and stepped forward eagerly, unable to stop herself staring in awe.

'My name's Cynder. Who are you? Who're these dragons you travel with?'

'Nadina.' She turned to look after her pod with concern. 'After receiving word of the war's end by one of our scouts, we took it upon ourselves to return to our old home.'

Clauk nodded with recognition, turning down to Cynder. 'We did send our females to safety quite a while ago.'

Nadina shook her head quickly, her expression darkening. 'I'm afraid now's not the time for pleasantries. Guard, you need to mobilise as many dragons to fight as you can. My pod is in no condition to fight.'

'Of course...' Clauk began. 'But fight what? What's coming?'

'Grublins. A whole battalion.'

Clauk's eyes widened momentarily before he took off to carry out her orders. Hunter quickly leapt down to join them, eyeing Nadina with scrutiny.

'What can you tell us? How much time do we have?'

'Twenty minutes at most.'

Hunter blinked in surprise. 'Truly? Why are they pursuing if they fell so far behind?'

Nadina scowled at the ground. 'They've taken leave of their senses. The moment they smelled us, they pursued us even as it cost them many warriors. We took out a large portion of them when they ran atop cliffs with wind, but this just seemed to enrage them further.'

'What about composition?'

Nadina closed her eyes for a moment. 'From what I remember – there are five hundred grublins, one hundred orcs and two trolls left. No siege engines or machines; they couldn't have followed us so far otherwise.'

Cynder felt her gut clench worriedly. As Hunter nodded and began to help Clauk spread the word of their threat, she eyed Nadina with concern, spotting her wings drooping a little as she snorted heavily.

'You're going to stay? You look exhausted from all that flying.'

Nadina paused as she raised her head to peer at the black youngster. 'The grublins are my responsibility – I led them here along with my pod, so I have to do everything I can.'

Cynder grimaced with a mixture of sympathy and admiration. 'You seem oddly calm about this, Nadina.'

'Considering that the original army which attacked Warfang was many times larger – I'm hoping I can prevent any more innocents from being harmed.'

Cynder felt a surge of relief that she was staying to fight. 'So do I.'

Nadina eyed her with concern. 'You're staying too?'

'Of course!'

The dragoness smiled gently with approval. 'You are brave, young lady, but keep your wits about you.' She looked to the sky sadly. 'There will be blood on the wind tonight...'

* * *

After snapping Spyro out of a staring contest with some new dragon arrivals, Sparx rushed ahead to spot the three Guardians diving down the surface of Warfang with great speed. He pointed this out quickly to Spyro.

'What's the hurry, I wonder?'

Spyro was still under the influence of the females; he even remembered seeing a dragon around his age. He wanted to talk to them more.

Sparx simply ground his jaw with annoyance before poking him in the eye. 'Earth to Spyro! Hello! The Guardians have flown down the main courtyard; they looked pretty serious too.'

'Uh... right...'

Spyro quickly snapped out of his trance, and noticed that in addition, many dragons were gathering at the top of the ramparts, and several moles were manning the main dragon cannon. He sighed with inward relief when two tested the lever themselves to load a cannon-rock.

He quickly took off, quickly spotting the gathering of the Guardians with Cynder, along with another adult dragoness with striking turquoise scales. He shook his head again; now was not the time to be distracted.

However, when they landed a few feet back, Sparx's jaw dropped when he saw Terrador and the dragoness embracing. Spyro thought nothing of it, since they were the same breed, even if their scales were somewhat divergent.

Terrador looked up at them warmly, but at the same time, grimly. 'Spyro, Sparx, this is Nadina – an old friend of mine.'

Spyro and Nadina nodded to each other respectfully before Cyril stepped towards them.

'Young dragon, grublins are coming again. We'll need your help.'

Cynder moved to join their side as Spyro spoke up questioningly. 'OK, but how many? We can't last if– '

'It's not.' Cynder spoke quickly. 'It's a single battalion. Hunter thinks it's some sort of trick, but he knows they're coming now.'

Cyril looked up towards the front gate, baring his teeth. 'They will _not_ catch us off guard this time.'

Moles and several cheetahs were gathering in the courtyard, while all archers and non-earth dragons gathered on the ramparts, including some fire and electricity dragons. Spyro was surprised to see no other ice dragons apart from himself and Cyril, but thought better of questioning it now.

'So what's the plan?' Cynder asked them. Terrador and Cyril glanced at each other with determination as the Ice Guardian voiced a strategy.

'The most experienced flyers will thin them out in the open plain. We'll keep the gates barred with flame seals until the flyers run out of energy, then hem them in with an arc formation in the two courtyards. It may not even be necessary to bring the moles into close quarters. As for the trolls, we have to try and isolate them and pick them off when the opportunity presents itself.'

Spyro and Cynder knew that the courtyard was where they belonged; they didn't have enough raw power to effectively launch their attacks over long range, and among the orcs there were bound to be archers mixed in. One look at Terrador told him where they were heading, joining several earth dragons in the courtyard as they began stacking makeshift barricades of rubble and in some cases making them from the stone beneath. Nadina moved to support the fire and electricity dragons who were preparing to fly on Hunter's watch. Volteer and Cyril joined them atop the ramparts, while Terrador stood next to the two young dragons as they eyed the massive, glowing lava orb rotating within the lock once again.

* * *

Hunter could smell the grublins coming closer, the particularly foul stench of trolls and orcs seeping into his nostrils. Talon atop his shoulder was on edge too, as if he longed to fly and claw the grublins' rocky flesh. Hunter trusted Talon to keep his back; during the war, Talon stayed at Hunter's side and only attacked their foes at the right moment.

His sharp feline eyes caught movement from the edge of the forest, as some trees behind it visibly fell with a resounding crash. They had trolls, all right.

'Prepare to fly... once at least half are exposed.'

The several dragons around him stiffened their wings and hunched down. Talon screeched at the sight of the first grublin emerging. The odd-looking creature eyed the city for a few moments, before clicking its earthen jaw menacingly. It rose its club for a second, and the rest of the battalion gradually emerged, but they seemed disorganised, and their speed grew the further along the plain they charged. Hunter narrowed his eyes and studied their composition; Nadina's information was correct, it seemed. However, half of the grublins were of flying insect variety, so the flyers would have a somewhat more difficult job.

Cyril took off the moment the first troll appeared, prompting the rest of the flyers to follow suit. The dozen or so dragons soon formed a V formation, with Volteer and Nadina backing Cyril up.

Hunter strung his bow and waited for the lead grublins to get closer. Once he could make out the outline of its eyes, he loosed the arrow and struck it through the eye. As he continued to pick his targets, he prioritised the orc archers first as they were the only soldiers able to properly retaliate against the dragon flyers.

Cyril loosed a concentrated gush of ice spikes down the middle of the column with a downward swoop. The projected ice spears impaled a few grublins and several orcs in one blow. However, right as he ascended, several archers loosed their dark arrows as he left himself vulnerable, but Nadina shot forward and unleashed a wide gust of wind from her jaws that deflected the arrows down and into the ground.

Spotting her elemental prowess, the other dragons hung back until they could do another bombardment with Nadina's cover. They quickly began the pattern of following Nadina in a dive, where she deflected the large volleys of arrows where she could. This did not completely stop them, however, as several received stinging wounds where the arrows pierced their hides and underbellies, causing their flight to become more laboured as they continued. Volteer roared painfully as several arrows pierced his abdomen after falling afoul of several flying grublins, before shocking the miniature flyers in retaliation and sending them plummeting to the ground. After their fourth pass, Cyril eyed his friends and the others, and called out wearily.

'Enough! We've done our job. It's time to join the defenders at the gate. Those of you unfit to fight, get yourselves to safety. That means you too, Volteer.'

The electricity Guardian shook his head despite the trickles of blood he left through the air. 'Not quite yet, Cyril. Nadina is still in the fight, and that means I am too.'

Cyril raised an eyeridge as they turned around, wondering what kind of trick was up the dragon's flank.

He gave one last look at the remaining orc archers, spotting one having its neck impaled by another of Hunter's arrows as it raised its armed claw. He estimated that they'd killed at least a hundred grublins and dozens of orcs in their attack, but the two trolls were still pushing forward despite their burns and the ice spikes protruding from their thick hides.

_Now onto the archers atop the battlements._

* * *

Several cheetahs warriors were launching arrows as fast as they could, spotting the flying dragons getting clear. This also begun the cannon's series of bombardments that sent several bodies flying with every blast. Hunter was amazed at the casualties they'd inflicted without a single one of their own, as he spotted every dragon who flew out return overhead, half of which swooped down onto the back of the battlements waiting to attack any who would break through the gates.

_I still do not understand the logic behind this attack... they truly have taken leave of all tactical sense. Unless there's an ambush or golem coming from beneath..._

He shook the thoughts from his mind when a flying grublin got close enough to stab at him with its knobbed spear, but Talon flew forward and tore into its face with his razor-sharp claws. Hunter inwardly cursed himself for the distraction, and examined the state of the battle. Most of the battalion had now pressed itself up against the front gate to avoid the cannon blasts, as it couldn't not lower its pitch any further. Earth dragons on either side of him were hurling chunks of rubble, crushing any orcs or grublins in their wake. The two trolls were hammering on the stone doors, using their thick overgrown knuckles to break large chunks out of the door with every blow. However, it eventually reached the point after about an hour where they could no longer get a clear shot from up above, from rubble or arrows. He dashed backwards and yelled down towards the awaiting defenders in the courtyard.

'Terrador! We are not getting anywhere from here. It's time to let the gates open and finish the rest off.'

The earth guardian furrowed his brow with concern, but he knew the warriors he had with him were experienced enough, including Spyro and Cynder. Nadina, Volteer and Cyril had landed behind them as well. He nodded to the fire dragons on either side.

'Let the lock run out. Be ready, all of you.'

Spyro couldn't help but feel foolish, letting the fire burn out when the usual strategy was to keep it closed as long as possible. Then again, most of his previous battles had been far more desperate – if their numbers were low enough that the archers couldn't get a clear shot, then it made sense to draw them in to a defensive location.

They waited for a whole minute, and when the fire ran out, the trolls burst through the stone with a crash. Terrador immediately let loose an earth missile aimed into its neck as its momentum still carried it forward, causing it to yowl painfully and double back while its comrades leapt forward in a battle frenzy. However, it soon leant forward on its limbs and shrugged off the other missiles from subsequent attacks.

Spyro quickly moved forward, aiming his ice projectiles at the beast's joints in an effort to slow it down. Following his lead from their previous battles, Cynder released streams of poison globules that burned away some of its natural armour on its shoulders and stomach. The other warriors moved forward and engaged the remaining grublins and orcs on either side, with Nadina darting in and out, blowing away any off-guard enemies that surrounded one of her comrades, amidst tearing into them with her claws and jaws where appropriate.

Seeing its fellow troll in pain, the second, a shade darker and purple instead of green, suddenly howled and charged through their line with unexpected speed, throwing aside several dragons as they leapt out of its way. Spyro and Cynder rolled to the side as it charged straight towards them, and stopped after a few strides into the open.

Cyril and Volteer moved to intercept the separated creature, cutting it off from the main battle. Cyril weaved and dodged its predictable blows, taking every chance he could to launch ice spikes into its underbelly and joints. Volteer's sustained attacks often left him with perfect openings, but its thick arms still waved around even as its relatively small legs stumbled. For every successful shot, its movements slowed, until finally Cyril planted three spikes deep into its neck. It fell in a crumpled heap, still twitching from Volteer's electricity.

With only a single troll left, and being quickly worn down in the face of ice, poison and other elemental attacks, Volteer spotted an opening. Seeing that no more grublins were pouring through, he ordered the stone gates closed, and two fire dragons broke from the battle. They rammed the stone doors shut with all their strength before lighting their lava torches. Even to Volteer, this wasn't necessary. He took off into the air.

'Nadina! It's time! Break away, everyone!'

The forefront warriors leapt backwards just behind the position Nadina had stood herself. Volteer charged his electricity for several seconds as the warriors hampered their adversaries along their path. Finally, he unleashed a concentrated orb of glimmering electricity which shattered upon the stone in the middle of the remaining army, spreading out in a wave that stunned its victims as it projected outwards. Amidst this, Nadina inhaled deeply in a similar manner, and when all the enemies stood paralysed before her, with spread wings, she unleashed a wide gust with enough force to send all the orcs and grublins tumbling into the stone wall with a massive crunch. With the troll momentarily separated, Terrador roared with bloodlust and leapt forward, bowling the creature over and pinning its armed limb to the ground as he tore into its neck and face. The two fire dragons on either side quickly burned the line of grublins nearby to a crisp, and with the last troll dead, the dragons converged and, before their enemies could recover, tore the last grublins and orcs to pieces.

* * *

Sparx slowly rose from his hiding place from within a market stall. The sounds of snarling and burning nearby told him enough. He'd never heard that volume of roaring and rending of flesh – it was a grim reminder that dragons were still ferocious and powerful creatures despite their otherwise civilised manner.

When the clamour of battle died down, he moved to return and find Spyro and Cynder to make sure they were safe. Among other moles watching, he saw many dragons clawing and tearing at the edge of the wall along with the death throes of the grublins, and he couldn't help but feel – sickened at the sight. As if echoing his feelings, he could see a lone sky dragoness surveying the carnage, with her wings and body looking very morose. It somewhat reminded him of the state he and Spyro had found Ignitus in on their first meeting.

Sparx approached the dragoness hesitantly, and she didn't respond to his presence until he was up next to her face. Her eyes looked rather sad, as well as tired from the fighting.

'Is everything alright down there?'

She exhaled softly. 'I'm not so sure. Something feels very wrong here.' Nadina sighed and shook her head. 'At least we suffered no fatalities...'

When the dragons ahead finally ended their fighting, Sparx approached and sighed with relief when Spyro and Cynder appeared from between the surrounding adult dragons' legs. 'So I gather the battle went well?'

Spyro nodded, but looked similarly troubled as Nadina. 'Yeah – a bit too well. I wouldn't call it a battle – more like slaughter. These grublins threw themselves to their deaths.'

Cynder was less sympathetic. 'What do you expect? They came with the full intention to kill us.'

Terrador moved back from the gate, with Volteer and Cyril soon landing to form a makeshift circle before Nadina.

'Perhaps we'll have more time to discuss this situation with Nadina. It may be best to go now, in fact...' He eyed Volteer's blood trail with concern. 'Volteer, you need to get yourself patched up! Cyril, close his wounds before we depart.' As the Ice Guardian coated the wounds with a thin layer of ice, Terrador glanced over at Nadina thankfully. 'As for you, Nadina, we are very thankful. You spared many dragons from further wounds.'

Strangely, he was only answered with a cold stare, which visibly surprised the earth guardian. Nadina quickly turned away before he could respond and flew up with great speed, causing the Guardians, Spyro and Cynder to beat their wings hurriedly in an effort to catch up. Volteer quickly diverged towards the Starlight Towers for the wide box-like infirmary buildings arranged in a barracks-like formation, from which several other dragons were dragging their bodies towards as well. Terrador felt a little shaken; that look was not at all what he remembered of her from when they were younger.

It wasn't long before they neared the Grand Hall once again, but Nadina stopped short of entering the Hall itself, instead opting to talk right there in the courtyard among the decorative pillars. By the time the rest had arrived, Nadina was awaiting them with a serious glare in her eyes, falling on Terrador as he landed first.

'Terrador, what's happened to you?'

There was a moment of awkward silence before he answered. 'I'm afraid I don't understand...'

'Or rather, what's happened to all of you? Have you lost yourself in war after all this time?'

Spyro, Cynder and Sparx were quick to realise they didn't have much bearing on the discussion, and stepped back as the adult dragons gathered closer together. Terrador frowned tensely in response.

'How could we not, Nadina? Three years straight, we have been fighting for our survival here, holding onto the faint hope that Spyro would return and deal with Malefor once and for all. And he did, but the effects of the war still weigh down on us.'

Nadina shook her head sadly. 'That doesn't excuse what I saw down there. It's reached the point where you revel in death and destroying your enemies, when the earth dragons were very different in ages past. Our Ancestors were peaceful and pursued defense and harmony, not a basal lust for battle that you and your warriors seem to have adopted. At least I can help you steer them back on the right path.'

Terrador wasn't sure how to respond, glancing downwards in shame, instead letting Cyril speak next. 'My lady, regardless of the disagreements between you two, it will help our cause significantly for you to stay with us. Pardon my asking, but will you and other wind dragons be willing to act as scouts and huntresses? Your skills at flying and hunting are well known to us, even though it has been many years since we've last witnessed wind dragons in action.'

Nadina was still glaring at Terrador, but after a moment turned her attention away, nodding graciously towards him. 'Yes... of course, once we've recovered from our journey, we'd be glad to offer our skills. We aren't simply helpless refugees, after all.'

Terrador raised his head expectantly. 'Are you the only pod that's coming? Where's the rest of your village? And are there any other holdouts?'

Nadina froze, sadness suddenly reaching her eyes, as it was her turn to look away. 'I'm... I don't know how to say this, Terrador, but we're all that's left.'

'What?' Terrador's response was oddly quiet. 'That can't be. Our kingdom once spanned entire mountains ranges, along with the caverns beneath! You mean to say you found no one else?'

'Yes, Terrador. I tried to find them, I did... before I led my pod from our cavern, I sought out the other holdouts on the continent. They were all empty, and... I also discovered the remains of some of our people. The rest... I don't know. I'm... I'm sorry.'

The earth guardian stared at the ground for a few moments, before turning to survey the dragons in the city beginning to clean away the dead grublins. 'You mean to say... all that remains of the earth dragons are several dozen individuals?' He lowered his head solemnly, unable to conceive that within a decade a whole race had been diminished to such a level. 'Allow me to be excused... I need to reflect on this.'

Cyril and Nadina nodded sympathetically as Terrador lumbered through to the Council Chambers, his shadow passing through the faint sunlight soon fading with the evening.

'Forgive him, madam, but the past years have been hard on all of us. He'll come around soon.' When Terrador faded from view, he looked back at her. 'Where will you live? What are your people's plans?'

Nadina answered confidently. 'Most of them will return to the Earth district... many lived there before the war. Some will return to their homes and mates in the other districts.'

'And you?'

'I...' Nadina paused. 'I would think it best if I come and live here in the Chambers among you Guardians, but I may move in tomorrow. I need to help my people settle in tonight.'

Cyril gazed at her, pleasant surprise plain on his face. He stood like that for a moment, giving the impression of a happy ice sculpture. 'So you plan on being a Guardian, do you?'

Nadina was taken aback, quickly shaking her head. 'What? No! I don't have the experience for such a thing. However, I do want to have my say in matters high on the agenda, as Terrador seems to have lost his way significantly, and if our people are to return to our roots, he'll need my help. But I have to change his outlook, first... and he's... well...'

Cyril smirked at her troubled look. '...Hard as stone, yes. It will be difficult to change his position, but that does not mean you shouldn't try. You may have many years to do this, who knows?'

Nadina and Cyril soon exchanged farewells, and Cyril approached the three youngsters, eyeing them tiredly.

'I think we've all had a bit too much excitement today, I must say. Anyhow, you three should come visit us tomorrow at some point; Volteer is preparing something for you to fill your days. If luck holds, Nadina may be able to teach you some things as well. Hm...' He gripped his pointy chin thoughtfully. 'I may have a few errands to run tomorrow morning. How grand.' He eyed the confused expressions on the youngsters. 'Nevermind. Come tomorrow around midday. I believe Volteer and I should have things organised by then. Off you go, now.'

Spyro and Sparx opened their mouths to ask, but Cyril dismissed them with a swift swish of his tail as he followed in Terrador's footsteps towards the Chambers. 'Well, that was rude.' Sparx stated simply. 'So much for a nice friendly reunion...'

* * *

As the three of them returned at around eleven-Solus and sat on the cushions for a rest, Spyro began voicing his questions gathered in his head and expelling them with anticipation.

'I wonder what Volteer's got for us? Hopefully it's more training – maybe he kept some secrets about Electricity for when I'm older. It hasn't been as useful as my other abilities so far.'

Sparx eyed his brother flatly. 'Does that mean we'll have to zap more of those weird straw dummies? As well as put up with his big words?'

'It'll be worth it, Sparx. Perhaps he'll teach me how to use that shockwave he used before?'

As Spyro continued prattling to himself, Sparx eyed Cynder, who was being strangely silent as if in heavy thought. Sparx quickly responded by nudging his brother's cheek. Spyro blinked and picked up on this too.

'Cynder? What's on your mind?'

Cynder managed an enthusiastic smile herself. 'Nadina. I was wondering, what do you think of her?'

Sparx answered first. 'She seems nice... for a dragon. She was pretty put off by seeing all those grublins die, at least, despite how much she helped with it. As for that stuff with Terrador? I guess they were pretty shocked to see each other if they were childhood friends or somethin'. And war's a crazy thing, so they've both become a bit... estranged, I guess.'

Cynder nodded and turned her head. 'What about you, Spyro?'

An idea crept into Spyro's head. 'Maybe one day she could teach me something about that wind breath. It'd be useful to block arrows, and maybe help me with flying. And...' He paused uncertainly. 'Her scales are really quite... well, pretty. Not that I've seen a wind dragon before.'

'Do you think... she would teach me about Wind breath?'

The brothers blinked before Spyro smiled encouragingly. 'Hey, yeah...that's a good idea! Better than mine, at least, since you can already use it. You should ask her about it tomorrow if you see her. Though... she might be a bit busy getting settled in and everything. Maybe she could train us both?'

Cynder smiled fondly. 'I think you're getting your hopes a bit too high. We won't know for sure until Volteer starts... whatever he's doing.'

Sparx stifled a yawn. 'Yeah yeah, you dragons and your magic-shooting. Good luck with that. As for me, I'm gonna get back to our room for a power-nap.' He hovered down towards the wide hallway. 'Coming, Spyro?'

'Just a sec.' Spyro hurriedly moved towards the large bookshelf, picking out the first book he wanted to browse. Cynder spotted its title: "Species of Dragons". She might pick up on reading it after him; she was curious to learn more about wind dragons and how she might have inherited their powers. Spyro glanced at her questioningly when she stayed put.

'What are you going to do, Cynder? We've still got an hour until night-time.'

Cynder felt like stretching her wings one more time. 'Maybe I'll go check on that construction team I helped this morning.'

She couldn't help but notice Spyro's approving smile.

'What?'

'Oh... it's just nice to see you making friends.'

Cynder snorted. 'While you go making friends with books.'

'Yeah...' Spyro glanced at the ceiling. 'I'd like to meet that young wind dragoness that I spotted coming in at some point, come to think of it.' Not spotting Cynder's stunned look, he turned to his room. 'Have fun with those workers!'

Cynder felt a strange pang of hostility when she heard another dragoness their age was in the city, but she quickly shook it off. Regardless, another dragon of their generation should be welcomed, though she couldn't completely shake the uneasy feeling of when they'd meet her, whoever she was. She turned to take in the cool evening air before taking off.


	6. The Messenger

Chapter 5

The Messenger

* * *

Terrador's dreams that night were rather haunting, filled with the images from his childhood. The memories were hazy as they were nearly a century ago, but a few distinct memories he thought long forgotten suddenly became clear.

He remembered when, at a very young age, he saw his parents for the last time**; **the images he recalled were of a large, stern, mossy green dragon and a smaller, cyan figure with a gentle aura. He could see them standing in front of him – but they faded quickly, and he could not recall where they went or what happened to them.

Then came the images of friends he made, including his parents' friends and siblings; they all came and went frequently. For a long time, he'd had no friends he'd had strong bonds with. The first was Nadina, whose face came in a long time after the rest of his family had left. He remembered the times they had together fondly, learning how to be on their own with the few earth dragons left in their lives. Despite the endless evidence of war around them, he remembered her as a naive dragon who only wanted to solve things peacefully – even in cases where the Apes attacked. She wanted to convince them to leave, but it always ended in violence despite her efforts. They were both quick to learn the lengths they had to go to in battle to survive, but it was harder for her than him, as his father had at least taught him discipline. Then after a final hunt throughout the cavern in which he was born, they were separated. He set off on his own for many years until he'd found a nation of dragons who banded together specifically to fight the Dark Master's armies, and he trained vigorously to join their ranks so these new comrades wouldn't be taken away from him like the others.

Yet despite this, many of his new comrades fell or disappeared in the past decade until only he and the other three Guardians were left. He saw many of their faces; like he was reaching for them as they vanished into his subconscious. The sadness felt far heavier than any mountain within the confines of his thoughts. After forcing himself to push these memories from his mind for years, Nadina's appearance had brought so many back.

The last thing he saw in his mind's sequence was Ignitus, Spyro and Cynder departing through the Belt of Fire, and the internal anguish he couldn't afford to show, before he woke with a start. His low breathing expelled through the air rapidly in the chilly dark, and he looked around as his breathing slowed.

His quarters, like the rest, were quite large and comfortably housed one dragon; perhaps too comfortably. The walls between the arc of wide, semi-circle stone arches were thick and prevented any of them from hearing the next compartment's activities – unless it was something akin to roaring or loud expelling of their elemental powers.

Each compartment was arranged in an "L" shape to avoid the outside weather reaching them as they slept. The remaining space was made up of two large, wide rooms, one leading to the other through a sliding wooden strut. The back room in which he was sleeping contained an enormous round bed that easily fit him curled up within its rim. Two large bookshelves were plastered on either side, one typically for document storage while the other was filled with books of their own selection. The top of the forefront room had natural light filtering through a large hole that the first earth dragon dug out, with large detours arranged in a way to divert rain water. Given their natural preference for caves, earth dragons had better night vision than most others, so the limited tunnel of light proved sufficient for him.

He growled tiredly and felt his way around to his door, his eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness, as he had no other light source other than the beam of faint light outside. Since it was still early, his quarters were dimly lit, and he carefully stepped over some large cushions slightly obstructing his path.

The forest-green and soil-brown ornaments adorning the walls normally made him feel comfortable and in familiar territory, but now it only seemed to remind him of the memories he'd just witnessed along with the many comrades he'd lost in his relatively short life. Despite being a Guardian, the others were all significantly more experienced than him and were already in their prime by the time Terrador began training for the role in earnest. He entertained the idea of visiting one of the light-adorned sections; it was unfamiliar, but the bright, pure colours always lifted his spirits a little.

He quickly decided to go to the outside keep. The sound of wind proved more soothing than simply bright colours.

As he exited through his circular doorway, he smiled slightly at the mutterings coming from Volteer's compartment, loud enough just to hear in the central hub but too quiet to hear anywhere else. Envying his friend for the restful sleep, Terrador continued on to the dimly lit pavement outside, where he was gifted a soothing breeze that ruffled his facial frills. He could see many stars out in the clear sky above his head, and moved forward on instinct to the left of the stone platform, towards the observation extension jutting out from the stone's edge; the back of its circular edge embedded into the hill behind it. He began to stare at the sky from within its low stone barrier as he attempted to clear his thoughts.

Despite the rustling leaves in the wind and chirping insects, he still couldn't erase the faces of the dead from his head. Eventually, he looked to the stars, and instinctively, prayed.

_May you find peace, my brethren, in the embrace of the Spirits and company of the Ancestors..._

A voice sounded curiously, breaking his sermon. 'Out for a midnight snack, are we?' Cyril strode out from the shade of the hillside, eyeing the earth guardian with concern.

Terrador didn't turn his head. 'I was... seeking old friends...'

'Whether they're truly gone or not, it's out of your claws now.' Cyril couldn't help but let disapproval enter his voice. 'It isn't like you to dwell, Terrador.'

Terrador sighed deeply. 'Nadina's appearance brought up memories... best left forgotten.'

'Are you so certain of that?'

Terrador couldn't help but growl with frustration, his shoulders tensing. 'What's the point of seeing all those I've lost again? I don't remember anything that brings joy worth the memory.'

'You're lying.'

Terrador gazed at Cyril with bewilderment. 'What are you talking about?' He rumbled lowly.

Cyril didn't immediately answer, instead drawing their attention with his gaze to the newly acquainted wind dragons wandering about their new homes, some even spending time with old friends or family. 'Nadina. I saw the look on your face when you first beheld her. It was one of pure joy, even if it only lasted a moment. Such is rare on you, my stone-faced comrade - it was a mark of significance.'

Terrador's expression softened, but still held sadness in his eyes. 'Even if what you say is true, those I've lost far outweigh what has returned. It's somewhat easier for you, Cyril. Your people and family are well and safe on Dante's Freezer.'

Cyril sighed sympathetically. 'That may be... but heed my words, Terrador. Instead of relegating yourself from your people, cherish what you've gained. It's unwise to give up hope so quickly after it's been brought back to us. Besides...' He gazed up at the stars, picking out some constellations of historic dragons embedded in his head. 'The world is a large place. It's quite possible that some of your people managed to flee and create new enclaves still hidden to you. Don't forget that... old chap.'

Despite Terrador's doubt that his people would flee so readily, given their proud nature, he couldn't help but give a throaty chuckle. 'I appreciate your words, Cyril. I just need time.'

Cyril twisted his jaw blankly as he turned to leave. 'Hopefully you won't spend it staring off into space.'

Terrador couldn't help but agree. _I'm not fulfilling my duties very well in this state, that is for sure. I need to get back to work._

After a few more reflective moments, he willed his body to move as he turned away. However, a pale figure to his left stood out on the roof of a Starlight Tower, and sympathy stirred in his chest.

Nadina was watching the stars too.

* * *

Spyro, Cynder and Sparx were beginning to adjust to the city's rhythms, as they all woke up at a reasonable time to get ready for whatever Volteer had planned. The rising activity within the Districts coincided with theirs. It reminded Spyro of a beehive, with all its individuals moving and working in unison – even though they had far fewer numbers. After stopping at the Glacier fountains for a drink, they made good time as they spotted the Grand Hall pass into view as they flew up the familiar steps of Warfang.

That morning, Spyro shared some of what he found in the book he was reading. He'd only finished the section on Fire dragons, but found the information already engaging enough to talk about it all the way up. Cynder didn't pay complete attention, and Sparx probably not at all, but she did pay rapt attention to some parts.

The first was that while fire dragons didn't excel in physical strength or destructive power, they were the most versatile, striking a delicate balance. Another interesting fact was that fire dragons were the most likely to possess the ability to communicate telepathically; however this required a strong bond of magic with the subject, and even then it requires both sides to have their minds completely focused on the mind-task. The last thing Cynder remembered was of the fire breath's origin: that the first fire dragons in the world inherited their magical fire from Zhuroth, a gargantuan salamander composed of pure fire.

The brief mentioning of the elemental gods at the beginning of the chapter indicated that all major elements had their own patron deities; Spyro made it clear he wanted to find out the names of the others as well just by the hungry look in his eyes. Cynder couldn't help but smile to herself as he babbled; it was nice to see him invested in an activity that brought a spark to his eyes that made him oddly adorable. She snorted expectantly at Sparx's reaction: sticking a golden finger into his non-existent ear – making him look he was prodding himself.

Excitement rose in Cynder's chest when she spotted Nadina and a smaller olive dragon walking towards to the entrance, the youngster she guessed was the one Spyro spotted as they came in. Eyeing them with interest, Spyro took the lead and swerved down towards them in a gentle arc. Just as they landed, Volteer appeared through the front doors of the hall, greeting them with a somewhat exhausted, but enthusiastic, smile. He had large bandages wrapped around his abdomen, but apart from that his movements were natural.

'Welcome, welcome! So good to see you two here. I'm very glad for this astounding privilege... after many extensible years of barbarism, finally I can return to my true calling to academia...'

Sparx could only stare blankly. 'What's he talking about?'

Cynder smiled smugly. 'I think he's going to teach us using books.'

While Spyro looked thrilled, Sparx could only groan. 'Oh come on! I've had enough of your books from Spyro's gibberish!'

'Gibberish?' Volteer repeated in disbelief. 'This, young dragonfly, is the intangible knowledge of our entire race, passed down from generation to generation! I suggest you show more respect if you want to accompany your brother in his lessons. If there's one thing I will _not _tolerate, it's the interruption of the flow of knowledge from teacher to student!'

Sparx responded with a slightly unsettled grimace, before glancing at his brother gloomily. 'Are you sure you want to go along with this, Spyro? Old buddy, old pal? Please say no. Please.'

Spyro rolled his eyes. 'C'mon, Sparx. It won't be that bad. Besides, if normal dragons did this once, then I want to at least try it. It's not like we're being forced into it.'

Sparx sighed heavily. _It kinda is... but I guess if he really does like reading and learning... _'Fine, fine. Hopefully I won't fall asleep this time.'

Volteer relaxed and adopted his usual smile. 'Good! Now that that's settled, let's begin the salutations.' He turned swiftly to the wind dragons. 'Say hello to your classmate! Nadina, if you will?'

The olive dragoness turned to gaze up at her guardian timidly, who only returned a gentle smile before nudging her side with her snout towards Spyro and company. 'Go on.'

Spyro and Cynder examined her closely. Spyro felt a little sorry to admit it but she was... relatively plain, at least compared to Cynder's exotic colouring. Her olive scales were uniform and didn't shine to the same level as Nadina's, but it did glint blue at certain angles to the sun. She had two long horns that curved downwards, giving her a streamlined look to her head, and had a soft purple underbelly and wing membranes. Her silver eyes blinked towards them shyly, as she bowed to them respectfully.

'It's nice to meet both of you.'

They fought the urge to bow back, quickly realising they couldn't exchange such a formal greeting between simple classmates all the time.

'It's nice to meet you too.' Spyro greeted gently, adopting a smile. 'What's your name?'

'A-Alaia.' She emitted the word as if it was the silliest name in the world.

'But it isn't.'

Spyro suddenly received many strange glances from all around, and widened his eyes at what he'd just blurted out. 'Uh... what?' was all Volteer could say.

'I mean... uh...' Spyro stammered, trying to figure out what just happened. 'I mean it's a nice name, Alaia. My name's Spyro.'

Cynder and Sparx nodded in turn.

'I'm Cynder.'

'And the apparent mortal, Sparx.'

There was an awkward silence before Alaia answered plainly. 'Thank you, I suppose...'

Volteer quickly cleared his throat as he trotted to the edge of the platform, turning their attention towards the Starlight towers. 'The towers will be our haven of erudition. Are you all ready to proceed?'

With a delayed nod, the five dragons and accompanying dragonfly took off in a horizontal path, aiming for a wide platform on the intermediate tower to the right, with a smaller and taller tower nestled together on the left. Deep below, Spyro and Cynder recognised a series of interlocking pathways into multiple shorter towers, up against a wide, square-based tower which looked to be in ruins. From the unique holes punched throughout its front, it became obvious that it was the same tower from which they'd fought the Golem; the large crater it had created was still being cleaned up down on the courtyard stone below. However, the two towers beyond it were luckily intact, separated by a dragon's wingspan.

Their attention turned to the intermediate tower on the right. Its wide round surface was littered with countless bow windows, containing alternating platforms for entering and exiting by flying patrons. Each of these platforms were easily recognisable by the large star adornments themed with alternating elements in the centre of each one. Volteer veered down towards an electric-styled star which jutted out towards the centre of the city.

'Careful now! If we all land too heavily and at once it may wear this platform down with repeated incidents.'

He and Nadina landed first, one after the other, quickly opening a sliding wooden door and slipping inside to give the youngsters plenty of space to follow. Alaia was the last dragon to go through and shut the door behind her just as Sparx flew forward, rubbing his head after flying right into it.

'Ow! What's with you dragons, huh?'

He folded his arms grumpily just as Spyro's paw appeared to drag him through.

'Took you long enough, purple guy! Now what–'

His mouth quickly fell open alongside Spyro's, still being held in his brother's paw.

They immediately felt a little closed in by the enormous bookshelves on either side, with Sparx fearful of being crushed if either of them ever came down. However, the peculiar silver wood of the shelves looked very strong and stood perfectly still with no creaking whatsoever. Unfortunately, the shelves weren't fully packed with books, and Spyro could tell they were many copies of the same volumes lining the rows. This didn't stem his curiosity, though, and excitement rose within Spyro's chest at the thought of learning the lore contained within the thick books' pages. Sparx, on the other hand, couldn't see any use for them, since they were so tall and large relative to him that he couldn't move one even if he tried. At least some of the books in their house were light enough to move about.

The ends of the bookshelves met leaving a large enough opening for adult dragons to pass through comfortably, and they spotted Nadina's great head gesturing them to follow around to the right. Spyro was the last to follow after staring for a few more seconds. From passing through the centre, it looked like all the shelves were arranged in a similar fashion, all lining up in a disc pointing towards the middle clearing. Each small alcove similar to the one they came through had an external flight balcony, with eight shelves separating each section. However, two alcoves did not have a balcony, instead leading to the next level in the tower. The wide spiral staircase of solid stone jutted out of the floor like a tower in itself, with Volteer's feet just visible as he led the procession upwards. It seemed the place was empty apart from their present company, but Spyro inwardly hoped it would fill up in due time.

Poking their heads out of the stone stairwell on the next level, the brothers were greeted by a vast circular hall which contained a string of bow windows around it, with no balconies in sight. A single lowered platform, not unlike the alcoves in the Grand Hall, was nestled down below at the end of the hall, surrounded by one enormous white wall with detailed stone carvings, depicting dragons, moles and other races engaging in various historical events. These were manually and cleanly cut, perhaps with a dragon's claws rather than the stonework of the moles. None of the youngsters could make much sense of what they meant.

Nadina took a passive position by a far window overlooking the city when Volteer bowed his head, signalling many seating positions littered in front of him in several arcs, facing him in the core platform. Each one was a miniature stone ring, so low to the ground that they wouldn't even trip over it, and had a silverwood tome pedestal that looked adjustable for the height of growing dragons. The three young dragons soon found the three places closest to Volteer.

'Welcome, welcome! Make yourselves comfortable.' As Alaia looked around nervously, as if expecting some formal greeting, he gave a quick shake of the head. 'Oh no need to worry, my dear, this is merely an introduction to your new lives. And again, you're free to decide whether to go through with this or not. A dragon's greatest gift is that of freedom, or so it is said.'

Alaia glanced between Spyro and Cynder's enthusiastic gazes, and soon nodded to Volteer, allowing him to continue as the three dragon sat at their pedestals at attention.

'Excellent! I'm glad all three of you have chosen to remain. In ideal conditions, we would have all the pedestals being attended by a prospective student...' He gave a small frown, but shook it off. 'Nevertheless, I am glad to be here to serve you. Listen up! First off, you should know that each pedestal has layers of leatherbark parchment. This unique material allows dragons to write without destroying the material – simply draw out your writing with the tip of a claw and it'll fix the message into its surface. It's also very difficult for even dragon's to cut through, and last but not least, we can flatten them with smooth blocks to use them again! Very versatile for all things literal... keep in mind that you do not want to waste it. So try not to lose it if you decide to take notes home with you! In fact, I would request you ask me to help you seal them in volumes and labels before taking anything out of the tower. Hmm... you should all practice a little first.'

He glanced around and swiftly pulled a large sheet of leatherbark at his feet, expertly twirling one claw over the parchment while standing on three feet. In a few seconds he was done, and swiftly picked it up and half-threw it against the bare wall behind him. The youngsters were taken aback at a flash of magic tracing the edges of the rectangular parchment, which seemed to glue the rectangle to the white surface, displaying the message for them in plain sight. When Volteer moved to the side, it read "optimal arc 78.5 degrees". Cynder raised an eyeridge oddly, as she had no idea what it meant, but it was easy enough to copy down. Staring at the soil-brown layer on the stone in front of her, she raised a paw to trace the message in the same style, but it felt strange and uncomfortable to balance herself on three legs in such a manner. Her claw wobbled as she traced through the bark, and what came out looked rather misshapen compared to the elegant flow of Volteer's work. She didn't have enough space to try again, however.

'All done, everyone?'

Everyone nodded, Cynder rather meekly in meeting Volteer's curious gaze. Spyro and Alaia raised their paper slates over the edge of their pedestals for Volteer to see. He gave an approving nod to Spyro, but frowned as he instinctively turned his head at Alaia's.

'Um... my dear, yours is inverted.'

'Sorry!' She corrected it fervently, and Volteer looked rather impressed. 'Well! That's quite the technique you have there, young lady, well done.'

Alaia flushed a little as she put hers away, as Volteer glanced over to Cynder questioningly. 'Well, Cynder? Have you finished?'

Cynder reluctantly nodded as she showed hers. Volteer studied it for a moment before giving a light shrug.

'It's fair to say you could practice, Cynder, but by no means will it impair you overmuch. A helpful hint; if you find your posture uncomfortable, try utilising the strength of your tail.'

Cynder blinked curiously. 'Really? Well, thanks – I'll do that.'

She did recall from the corner of her eye that Spyro and Alaia weren't wobbling anywhere near the level she did while writing. They must have been using their tails as an extra leg.

As Volteer returned his attention to taking down his scroll, Spyro turned his neck to her. 'Cynder, you don't have to worry about taking notes today. I can handle them. You can practice watching me and Alaia.'

Cynder smiled appreciatively, but she honestly didn't like Spyro having to cover for her too much. Still, she appreciated the gesture.

While she continued to get the technique down, she could hear all of Volteer's disclosures. He was going over the weekly schedule; initially they would spend three days a week in the Lorekeeper's tower, in which their room was named, learning about basic history of their people, the various societies in contact with dragons, and the nature of the elements. Once they had progressed sufficiently in these areas, Volteer would allow them to join Terrador in formal battle training, and from there, elemental mastery from various dragons depending on their availability. Cynder was immediately tempted to request wind training, but felt it wasn't her place to ask so early in their novel education. After about an hour, Cynder felt she had gotten her writing to a sufficient level, as she felt far more comfortable now after following Volteer's advice, and after going through several leatherbark slates that now lay at her feet.

'This week, I'll begin with the most ancient history currently recognised,' Volteer was saying. 'The next two days will be formal classes, so I expect you to be here by one-Solus. Now that the ruminations are over – any questions?'

Cynder couldn't help but smile at his child-like enthusiasm for this work, even if she wasn't completely used to the prospect of staying in this position for hours at a time. It was clear to her that this was where Volteer felt truly comfortable. Glancing at the sundial on an adjacent bow window, she did have one question.

'Volteer? It's not even midday. Are we finished already?'

At Spyro and Alaia's curious glances, Volteer shook his head all too knowingly. 'Indeed, you are sharp, Cynder. Nadina's company isn't just for Alaia's sake, I'd have you know. She's going to be teaching you some basic skills which, as afraid I am to say, are more valuable than history and elemental prowess at this stage. You'll all be leaving with her shortly.'

Cynder felt instant excitement at the prospect of leaving to explore with Nadina, while Spyro looked a little disappointed, and Alaia seemed rather apprehensive even though she was most familiar with Nadina. Adding to the confusion to Spyro was the light snoring and thrumming sounds of Sparx and Nadina respectively, not too far from each other under the sun's rays by the bow window. Spyro's jaw twitched with amusement; it was strange seeing an adult dragon appear so gentle in her sleeping form. Sparx didn't seem afraid of her, at least, nestled in her several horns. He wondered if they'd been talking during their lesson.

Volteer had already left by the time the three youngsters approached the dragoness, seemingly distracted at his own preparations for tomorrow. Cynder moved forward boldly towards her and nudged her wrapped forelimbs with a paw.

'Nadina? It's time to wake up now.'

She opened her sunset eyes drearily before blinking them rapidly, forcing herself up to gaze at them apologetically. 'Spirits! I didn't fall asleep, did I?'

Sparx yawned widely at the sudden jolt, hovering out of her horns. 'Yeah, pretty sure you did. I tried to keep you awake, but Volteer's too good for us.'

Alaia giggled before Nadina bowed her head apologetically. 'I do hope Volteer wasn't offended...'

Spyro shook his head earnestly. 'He didn't seem to notice, given how enthusiastic he is about all this.'

'It is nice to see him so passionate about something, and that he's found it again.' Nadina stretched her wings before glancing at them again. 'Is everyone here? All ready?'

When Sparx moved to join them, she gazed at him sympathetically. 'Are you sure you wouldn't want to stay here, Sparx?'

'Are you kidding!?' Sparx retorted in shock, though not unkindly. 'I need fresh air! Too much Volteer and I'll go insane!'

Spyro and Cynder smirked in unison. 'Volteer's gone, Sparx.'

'Yeah, but his boring aura isn't.'

Nadina lowered her head towards the dragonfly. 'Then you should use my horns again, and hold on as we fly. I'm afraid I travel quicker than most, and I'd exhaust you too much to keep up.'

Sparx smiled gratefully, but let a tiny scowl at Spyro, which seemed to mean "_how come you never ask"?_ He quickly wrapped his arms around one of her horns as the four dragons followed Volteer's path down the staircase and back to the electric platform from which they entered. Nadina listened to hear their footsteps as she stopped, before she spread her wings and elegantly dove over the edge, earning a frightened yell from Sparx. Cynder followed eagerly, overcome by an odd desire to show her skill at flight. Alaia and Spyro followed suit, slightly struggling to accelerate despite their low pitch. Once Nadina pulled out horizontally to sail over the ramparts, she slowed down to a speed which was comfortable for everyone; including Sparx.

* * *

'So how come we flew so fast that I can't blink properly?'

Nadina snorted at the dragonfly's odd question. 'I'm leading you all to the edge of the Viridian Wood, past the edge of the Blowback trail. You're to learn how to hunt for yourselves.'

'How come?' Spyro asked. 'It's not too hard to catch some rabbits or other animals, and they fed me pretty well when I tried them.'

'True,' Nadina admitted. 'However, you're all in the early adolescent stage of growth, so your full appetites are similarly underdeveloped. Very soon, you'll find your hunger increase to that of an adult before your body can catch up. You need to learn how to hunt larger animals as soon as possible, so you don't drain the limited resources of Warfang and its surrounding areas. Despite how big Warfang may seem, it's never been fully occupied by dragons. The food for the population would be very unsustainable, and they'd be forced to move far away or starve.'

'Were earth and wind dragons taught these things too?' Cynder asked with a hint of admiration.

Nadina nodded. 'We wind dragons have to learn these things as the earth dragons were focused on defence and organisation. In the meantime, since wind dragons are useful scouts and huntresses, we had to learn _how _to hunt. Sometimes, the hard way.'

Sparx was staring in awe at the sight below them. The tall mountains almost poked their peaks into the clouds, arranged in a slight arc around the Valley of Avalar like an enormous row of dragon's teeth. In direct contrast, the forest after reminded him a little of the enchanted forest he and Spyro explored in search of the Chronicler. However, it was rather earthly and had natural, deep green trees in a thick canopy that blanketed the landscape, which stretched almost to the horizon. He never knew a forest could get so large, and remain that way even after recent events. The mountains continued on and thickened to their left, while grassy plains and a drier landscape spanned past the Cheetah village to the right.

He clenched his teeth as his stomach dropped, with Nadina lowering her nose gently and circling down in a spiral, surveying the forest for an appropriate clearing. Everyone braced themselves as they dove after her, keeping their tails aligned so they wouldn't break off out of control. Nadina made sure she didn't go too fast.

After a few minutes of gliding, she led them over the top of the canopy for a few minutes before halting in mid-air with a strong flap of her elegant wings, lowering herself into a wide ring of bush and soil. It wasn't the most ideal clearing for landings, but the best she could find within a reasonable distance of such a wild forest. She gave a satisfied huff, facing the panting youngsters behind her.

'Tired already? Did I go too quickly?'

Spyro shook his head, more wearily than the others. 'I'm fine... just give me a moment.'

Alaia looked around warily. 'Excuse me, Nadina? How large can these animals get? The ones we're hunting?'

'I'm aiming for a large elk today.' Nadina narrowed her eyes and sniffed the wind. 'I hope you all will get a good meal before we head back in a few hours. If not, you'll have to settle for a smaller morsel at the market.'

'So... how does this work, exactly?' Spyro asked, frowning thoughtfully. 'How can dragons hunt properly without compromising the animal population?'

'You seem like a bright dragon, Spyro.' Nadina smiled encouragingly at him. 'Why don't you take a guess?'

Alaia opened her mouth eagerly, but Nadina shot her a warding look, wanting Spyro to answer first. Cynder guessed she'd already been taught some of these things already.

'I suppose... first is to hunt those animals that are the most common?'

Nadina nodded with approval. 'Good point, but how can we know that in advance? In a forest like this, it's almost impossible to track the numbers of each animal in a given area.'

Spyro's frown deepened, but couldn't think of a proper answer. After a subtle look from Nadina, Alaia stepped forward, enthusiasm gleaming behind her irises.

'We can't. The best way to hunt is to target places, not specific animals.'

Spyro and Cynder listened raptly as she continued. Sparx set himself to looking around the edge of the clearing, picking out bugs he could find in the underbrush.

'It's best to never hunt in the same place twice. If we keep moving, the environment itself balances naturally any shifts in its food web – but only if the impact is below a certain amount. This forest seems a very good place to hunt, as they are many places to hunt over a wide area.'

'Well done, Alaia.' Nadina beamed with approval. 'I'm glad you took your lessons to heart.' She returned her attention to Spyro and Cynder. 'Any other questions before we begin?'

'Yeah.' Cynder pointed a talon over to a bobbing gold light in the bush, munching sounds abound. 'Tell Sparx to stop being a glutton.'

Nadina grimaced with amusement before following Cynder's mark and sweeping the vegetation from which Sparx was hiding, a blue butterfly wing in his mouth. Nadina simply shook her head somewhat scoldingly.

'Even the butterflies will soon disappear if you keep that up, Sparx.'

Spyro and Cynder chuckled when Sparx swallowed indignantly. '... fine. I wasn't that hungry anyway.'

Nadina cleared her throat as Sparx rejoined Spyro. 'Are we ready to proceed?' At their silent nods, she hunched her body lower to the ground and folded her wings to streamline her body. 'Try and follow me, quickly but quietly. I'll find the first buck, but one of you will have to use its scent to find another one afterwards. That way you'll remember it.'

With that, the dragons almost slithered through the thick trees in pursuit of a meal.

* * *

Nadina rapidly caught the scent of a roaming male elk; and a decent size enough to feed them all. She was initially concerned that Sparx's glow would give away their position, and had him move ahead of them and away to divert attention. However, the elk seemed drawn by Sparx rather than repulsed. Observing it, she tracked its movements constantly through the shaded trees. When the dragons were completely still on her order under a row of bushes' cover, she saw the elk sniff towards Sparx curiously, its furry head plastered against a ray of sunlight. An idea popped into her head, but she decided against it. It felt wrong to use Sparx as bait, both for him and the elk. She firmly believed that a hunter should only use their own skills and the static environment, not trickery or deceit. After this, she whispered to Sparx to stay out of sight behind them when the elk dashed ahead again. They continued following him in such a manner for nearly an hour, and the sunlight was fast shifting to orange and the shadows began to lengthen.

Cynder and Alaia quickly adopted Nadina's stealthy approach, but Spyro had the most trouble keeping up whilst keeping silent as well. As a result, he was trudging behind everyone else. He inwardly hoped this wouldn't affect his share of the meal.

He finally caught up with the others as they were watching the elk drinking from a clear pond, eyeing it side by side. When he crouched next to Cynder just under the cover of bushes, Nadina pointed her head forward silently, signalling them to get ready.

Cynder shifted to the left and circled around the pond, not even making a sound as her claws sifted through the leaves. He crept after her, but it was obvious that she was far more experienced in stealth than he was. She must have retained some past experience and skill in hunting as Malefor's servant, and though Spyro didn't like being reminded of her painful servitude, at least now she could use some of that knowledge to better herself.

Alaia and Nadina likewise crept around to the right as he followed Cynder's lead. Her movements were so elegant and graceful that it was almost as if she were dancing silently. After a few moments, the sunlight reflected gently off her shoulder and forehead plates, glimmering in dancing colours that seemed to dance of their own accord, creating a shifting and flowing image dancing in his face as he stared in fascination...

A twig snapped. Spyro blinked and realised a weight was underfoot.

'Spyro!' Cynder mouthed silently, but it was too late.

The elk's head snapped up, blinked once towards their position, and bounded around the pond to the right. With a flash, Nadina and Alaia moved to intercept him, but another figure appeared on the other side of the pond, right in his path as his head still darted backwards.

Spyro only caught a glimpse of the deep blue figure before it lunged out of the shadows and dug its claws into the elk's sides, earning a pained wail as it dug the claws further and savagely biting at its neck, drawing blood. Within a few seconds, the elk had crashed to the ground, still struggling against its assailant; putting up an impressive struggle, given how large it was. As the hunters approached cautiously, there was a gradual, but sharp, twist in the elk's neck and a _crack _which ceased its cries and movements. Spyro couldn't help but flinch uneasily at the elk's final twitches.

The blue figure unwrapped itself from its kill, hastily moving to protect the carcass from them. It was another dragoness, similar of age to him and Cynder. She stared at them with hostile red eyes, puffing smoke in a subtle but intimidating manner. Spyro found himself rooted to the spot as she glared at him, trembling in a way he'd only felt once before; when he'd first encountered Cynder. While Spyro felt a nervous but gentle vibe from meeting Alaia, instead this stranger regarded them suspiciously, seemingly distrustful of them as if they weren't dragons. If Nadina regarded her with suspicion, she didn't show it, instead stepping forward while the youngsters shrank back from the newcomer and adopting a calm but guarded tone.

'Relax, we mean you no harm.'

She turned her head from Spyro and regarded Nadina coldly. 'Perhaps... but how do I know that? It's more likely you'll take the spoils for yourself. Leave, if you please.'

Nadina didn't budge, only regarding the carcass curiously. 'So you plan to eat the whole thing yourself?'

The dragoness narrowed her eyes slightly. 'No. I was going to save the rest for myself later.'

'So you won't come back with us to Warfang?'

The dragoness visibly loosened, raising her head curiously. 'Warfang? I've travelled far to find this city. Do you come from there?'

Cynder stepped and nodded, trying to be friendly. 'There aren't many of us left around here. Coming with us would be better than staying the night out here.'

Spyro and Sparx immediately flinched at the sudden suggestion from Cynder, while Nadina only raised her brow in silent surprise. The blue dragoness smirked with slight amusement. 'I wonder about that. Warfang isn't known for its grandeur in light of recent events.' She closed her eyes thoughtfully before nodding reluctantly. 'Very well. I'll let you share the meat I've collected in exchange for an escort to your city.'

Nadina frowned, a little perplexed. 'We would have taken you anyway. It's our duty to help any dragons out of the city, so we will. Especially a lone youngster.' She looked around at the others curiously, all still staring at the newcomer, before she returned her gaze. 'What's your name?'

'You first. All of you.'

Cynder narrowed her eyes slightly before speaking, expecting a negative reaction. 'Cynder.' She was surprised as the stranger inclined her head respectfully.

'Nadina.'

'Alaia.'

'Sp... Spyro.'

The blue dragoness regarded him with amusement as he managed to croak his name. 'My name is Solaris.'

No longer as tense as he just was, Spyro examined the rest of her body. At first glance, she looked like an ice dragon, but her body shape was quite different from Cyril's. Her scales were strangely thick and looked quite sturdy; like miniature armour plates. The front tips of her wings had large, curved spikes jutting out alongside the central one, making her wings junctions resemble additional claws. The blue scales were quite striking, as they were translucent and transferred some light of the sun through and out in random directions. Her two orange horns were long and sturdy, ending in a slight curve upwards. Her wing membranes and underbelly were a similar orange, projecting a persona of the sun's light in reflection of water. Finally, her tail ended with a regal, sapphire-like trident head with an elongated central spike.

Reading his expression, she glowered defensively and drew her wide wings to her body. 'Why are you staring? Exercise restraint, fool.'

Cynder couldn't help but snort with surprise as Spyro shrank back in shock. 'I'm sorry! It's just... you look so strange. Are you an Ice dragon?'

'No!' Solaris retorted vehemently. 'Why do so many call me an Ice dragon? I am a ma-fire dragon!'

Cynder quickly gripped Spyro's shoulder as he backed up again, clearly out of his element talking to a female like this one. 'Maybe you should just stop talking.'

'Noted.' Solaris swung her tail around. 'So are we going to eat, or are we going to let this carcass go to waste?'

* * *

It wasn't long before Sparx caught up to them, but warily approached seeing as they had a new dragon with them. He appeared before them in their tracks back towards a passed dirt clearing, eyeing Solaris wearily, as they prepared to fly home.

'So – someone mind telling me where you found that one?'

Solaris narrowed her eyes down at the dragonfly. 'What is _this_? Do you know this insect, any of you?'

Spyro grimaced uncertainly. 'He's my... brother. It's a long story.'

Sparx wasn't happy at being addressed like that. 'What do you mean, insect?'

Solaris regarded him flatly. 'Actually, insects normally have six legs. You only have arms.'

The dragonfly put them up proudly. 'Hey, I thrashed a stupid bat-bird with these!'

'Indeed. I hear dragonflies are famous for their thrashing abilities.'

Sparx was annoyed to the point where his cheeks began to puff up. Not knowing how Solaris would respond to an enraged dragonfly, Cynder quickly stepped between them and eyed Sparx firmly.

'Would you two stop it? Its nearly dark, and we don't want to end up stuck out here.'

Sparx groaned and turned away with arms folded. 'Fine. But she'd better be nicer if we're taking her with us.'

Solaris regarded him with amusement as she passed him with the others. 'I make no promises.'

Sparx opened his eyes at the breeze, as the dragons unfurled their wings in the clearing ahead. He zoomed into Nadina's horns again and hung on tightly as they launched into the air. Once they'd levelled out, they headed for the mountain pass they'd passed through a few hours earlier.

Solaris seemed to be absorbed in the view of the Valley in the sunset. Though Spyro and Cynder both witnessed it before, from the air it felt like a new experience. The deep-purple shadows over the ground alongside the orange and pink clouds in the sky created a stunning contrast. By the subtle look on Solaris' face, Cynder could tell she'd never seen a sight like it.

_I wonder where she came from? She doesn't seem the type to tell us right away, but... maybe one day. But... she's a strange looking dragon. I hope she really is trustworthy, given Nadina's reaction..._

Nadina turned her head to address them after watching the view for a few moments. 'I would say good job on the hunt, but the credit goes to Solaris this time – and we're fortunate to have eaten so well today. Still, I hope you all learned the basics of hunting an elusive animal in a forest environment. It's easier to hunt animals on the open plains, though such places aren't necessarily as bountiful.' She eyed Spyro with scrutiny. 'Spyro, you need the most practice. You can't let yourself be distracted at a critical moment in the hunt. It could mean the difference between survival and starvation.'

Solaris nodded with firm agreement, eyeing Spyro with slight disdain. 'Drakes.'

Even Sparx managed to chuckle a little, his voice ringing with the others, and Spyro bowed his head in embarrassment, quickly feeling more outnumbered than in any battle.

After a few more minutes of flying, he yelped in surprise when Solaris edged closer to his right, examining him like a fascinating book.

'So – Spyro, is it? One of the fabled purple dragons I've heard about?'

'Y-yes.'

Solaris gave a quick scan of his body from front to back. 'I thought you'd be taller. And older.'

Spyro couldn't help but feel like she was being purposely demeaning. 'You must be thinking about Malefor, then.' He quickly frowned. 'Wait – do you know what's just happened? The war?'

Solaris slowly shook her head. 'The only warning we've had of a full-scale war was the periodic columns of smoke, visible even from across the sea. It became clear when earthquakes began to occur continuously, but after a day or so they stopped as quickly as they began. Was that your doing?'

Cynder joined the conversation by flying against Spyro's left. 'It was both of us, actually.'

Solaris nodded to her deferentially. 'Our people felt the effects more than I did – the earthquakes would likely have destroyed our home. You have my... thanks.'

It seemed hard for Solaris to say such a word. _Our? _'Who are you?' Cynder asked quickly. 'Where do you come from? Who are your people?'

Solaris lowered her brow regretfully. 'I apologise, but I'm not entirely sure whether you're trustworthy for that information.'

_Trustworthy? We're dragons – why wouldn't we be? _Cynder examined her thoughtfully, but pushed it from her thoughts. As Warfang began to emerge over the rolling hills, she yawned widely. It surprised her how fast time went while hunting; it felt like only an hour or so ago that the sun was high in the sky. With a full belly, she looked forward to sleeping tonight.

'Solaris?' She asked quickly. 'Where will you sleep?'

The blue dragoness snorted derisively. 'Given that I've slept in caves and under trees the past few days, even bare stone would be welcome.'

Cynder bowed her head for a moment, quickly going over the possible problems with a stranger dragon sleeping out in the open. 'Would you like to stay with us? We have a spare room–'

Spyro visibly jerked and fell a short distance before he righted himself, staring at her in shock. Sparx was staring at her with similar distress.

'Are you crazy, Cynder? We'd only just met her! She might eat me while we're sleeping!'

Solaris rolled her eyes. 'Oh please. A tiny morsel like you wouldn't be worth the effort.'

'Gaah!' Sparx shook his fist briefly before eyeing Cynder again. 'See what I mean!?'

Spyro couldn't help but nod in agreement. 'He's got a point, Cynder. I'm not so sure it's a good idea–'

'Come on, guys. We've got room, and it won't be long. Tomorrow she could probably find a new home for herself when it isn't so dark.' She eyed Solaris expectantly. 'What do you think, Solaris?'

Solaris glanced at her gratefully. 'If you really mean it... then I'd be thankful. I accept.' She frowned determinedly. 'And I'll be finding my own place tomorrow! I doubt I could stand that golden bug-lamp for more than one night.'

Nadina nodded with approval, but couldn't mask slight concern on her part. 'Are you sure, Cynder? It might be a bit much of a burden for you two to have her stay with you. I can organise something–'

Cynder shook her head, trying to avoid offense. 'I know, Nadina, but Spyro and I can handle this. You've still got those Guardian matters to deal with, as well as teaching us.'

As Sparx began to make angry faces with his mouth wide open, Cynder couldn't help but smile. She was starting to like this dragoness, despite her apparent interest in Spyro. This was offset by the impression that Spyro was quite intimidated by her presence, and Cynder couldn't help but feel fascinated as to why he'd be so scared of her at all.

* * *

True to her word, Solaris didn't seem at all impressed by Warfang's architecture or even its scale. Wherever she came from, it was probably that it was similar or even larger than Warfang was. Alaia headed back to her district, while Nadina flew up back around to the Council chambers after seeing them home. Solaris didn't spare many glances as they landed in the large stretches of now-shrouded stone pavements in the elemental districts. Spyro couldn't help but watch her, and despite her intimidating gaze, she held herself with an air of nobility he couldn't place his claw on. He admired her appearance, despite himself – her somewhat dangerous exterior oddly added to her remarkable presence.

However, after the three dragons landed and wandered forward towards Spyro and Cynder's house, they spotted an adult pair of fire and wind dragons, together amongst the trees in the next door plain. Seeing they were mates, judging from the way they nuzzling each other in a sitting position, Spyro flashed a warm grin in their direction, but Solaris stared at them with quite obvious surprise. Before any of them could question her, she frowned darkly and ducked her head away to pass through their front doors; her tail-trident screeching briefly as it struck the ground. Sparx was the first one in after her.

'Hey-hey-hey, what was that look for? I'm not too fond of the dragon-mushy stuff either, but sheesh!'

Solaris paused long enough for Spyro and Cynder to enter, both eyeing her stiff figure with concern. 'Hm? What? Oh. None of your business, torchbug.'

Spyro approached her and spoke gently. 'If you have a problem as basic as seeing dragons together... I don't know if you'll stand living here for long.' He blinked thoughtfully up at the ceiling. _'Do_ you plan on living here?'

Solaris paused only for a moment, no doubt already having thought of this during their flight. 'Yes,' She answered with a determined stare. 'I chose to leave my home, with the full intention of staying away until they have need of me. As for how I'll know – I'll keep that to myself.'

'You keep everything to yourself.'

They ignored Sparx's muttering as Cynder peered at Solaris curiously. 'Okay, spill it. What's your problem with dragons becoming mates? It's not like they're too young or anything, like we are.'

Solaris shook her head uncertainly. 'I'm just not used to your customs. A fire and wind dragon would never be allowed to breed, where I come from. In fact, freely choosing a mate like that wouldn't be allowed either. I apologise, but the ways of my people aren't exactly as fluid as water.'

As Cynder and Spyro glanced at each other in surprise, Spyro touched a claw to his chin. 'Maybe we should save all these questions for class tomorrow. Solaris; Cynder, Alaia and I go to lessons in the Starlight Towers in the city's east. Would you like to come with us? I'm sure Volteer would like another student.'

Sparx was becoming more agitated as he talked, clearly displeased with inviting this brusque dragoness to join them in daily activities. But Spyro had to admit to himself: he wanted contact with as many dragons his age as possible, and felt in his gut it was the right thing to do to invite her to join.

Solaris glanced at him, clearly intrigued. 'If that's true... then yes – that would be ideal. Access to books and knowledge was the main reason I came, secondary to finding the state of your continent. Hopefully, this 'Volteer' can help in that regard.'

Spyro nodded fondly. 'If there's one thing Volteer can do, it's talk.'

'However,' Solaris began sharply, 'I still have a few questions for both of you – more related to you, Spyro.'

Taking this as a dismissal, Sparx blew a slight raspberry and headed to Spyro's room. Spyro, Cynder and Solaris sat down against the scattered cushions around the main room, with Solaris eyeing Spyro intently.

'The legend of the purple dragon is only stories and rumour, or was until I arrived here. Now I can say I've met him, but... how did both of you manage to prevent such a worldwide disaster? Especially at your age? Even with both of you together, you're still too young for such a task. Was the situation so dire that the adults had to let two youngsters do most of the work?'

Spyro reluctantly nodded. 'Well... yes. It was the best way, to keep as many innocents safe as possible. And... I doubt many dragons could have stood up to Malefor without using his power – we'd both be dead if we hadn't used it.'

Solaris paused to glance at the ground in thought. 'So... this Malefor was behind the tectonic disaster... and only a dragon like him could fight him... hmm...'

Cynder grimaced miserably. 'You're not going to ask us to recount everything, are you?'

'...hmm?' Solaris dismissed her query with a shake of the head. 'It's enough to know the immediate threat is over, and I have more important things to learn. Hopefully this class of yours will provide me the answers I seek.'

Cynder paused, but when she didn't ask any more questions, she stood up and stretched. 'Well, if that's everything for now, can I show you upstairs to your room?'

'Certainly.'

Spyro watched them leave, before yawning widely and joining the still-disgruntled Sparx in his room. His brothers was lying face down on a wide white cushion, muttering to himself. Spyro only caught the last of it as he rested beside him.

'Great. Another nicknamer, here to stay in Warfang. This is all your fault, genius.' He paused. 'Wait. It's Cynder's fault. But don't tell her that. Don't.'

* * *

Not soon after her meeting with Cyril, and notifying him of Solaris' arrival, Nadina felt the gentle cool breeze pass over her scales as she ascended Warfang's final tier, shivering pleasantly at the high altitude. The day of guiding youngsters felt satisfying in its own way; she'd only had a few days to teach Alaia a few things before her parents returned after the war was over. Since there were so few dragons of her age around, her parents and Nadina believed a joint exercise proved to be the most valuable teaching method.

_Spirits know her family's earned a respite. Too many families have been torn apart by this ridiculous conflict..._

Though she had come to terms with it long ago, seeing so much suffering and loss among her fellow earth and wind dragons had taken its toll. She wasn't proud of it, but she was impractically sensitive to the suffering of living creatures; the tendency of dragons to amplify this sensation through bonds of magic didn't help.

She would never forget that day; nearly fifteen years ago, the united Guardian dragons and other civilians had taken the majority of their forces into Warfang, deliberately attempting to draw the Apes away from the Dragon Temple. Ignitus' plan to secretly hatch the purple dragon was their best chance to defeat the Dark Master, as well as offering the hatchlings the greatest chance of survival. But they didn't count on Gaul, the Ape King, whose magical affinity allowed him to find the four Guardians guarding the egg clutch on their own to avoid attention. They'd all underestimated Gaul's perception and ruthlessness, and the Guardians and the unborn hatchlings of so many had paid the price. It was the first of many moral blows that compounded as the years went by, scattering the once-united forces in a desperate bid for survival, driving most earth and wind dragons underground.

For a time, she supported the small band of warriors that could fight freely and unburdened from caring for families or gathering food. And for a time, they felt hope again as they got word the purple dragon hatchling had survived, but was far too young to begin training. They held out for his sake, but after ten exhausting years, constantly moving and struggling for food, another blow left them reeling from despair.

The remaining forces of the Guardians gathered together, hoping to end the threat of Gaul and his Ape army once and for all. Leaving her and non-combatants behind, their warriors immediately joined with this band to meet the advancing Ape army in the Desolate lands, hoping to monopolise their advantage in flight. For a long time after they left, the remaining earth dragons waited for news, but after weeks of silence, they'd all feared the worst, and with the threat of Apes still abound, they could not leave the caverns beneath the Tanis Mountains. For two years, she believed that Terrador and so many others were dead, and it was she could do to stay strong for the others' sake, not even knowing if any other dragons had survived under the Apes' onslaught.

Thankfully, since then, even after three years of war, it was enough to know that the purple dragon and the four Guardians were alive, but not enough for her people to come out of hiding. The following three years were of surface war, with them continuing to wait for news of their people who had left for battle. Then it ended not long ago when scouts reported the tectonic activity and the floating Dragon Temple scattered about as the Destroyer entered the planet's core, along with its end and the eventual silence over the landscape.

Now, at last, she knew how many of those had survived, but also how many had died. Hundreds of earth and wind dragons had been killed in the short span of mere decades, leaving their people a fraction of what they once were. Her stomach clenched painfully whenever she began to dwell on this, making the usual joys of normal life insignificant. Helping the new generation of dragons rebuild was the only thing she felt she could do. Yet she couldn't help asking the pointless questions – how did this all happen? What had dragons, and all the slain innocents, done to deserve this? At what point had the continent turned to war? Could anything have been done to stop the Apes? They could speak; the war may never have occurred if the dragons had used diplomacy early on. But she knew in her heart that the Apes wanted war, and only force in kind could stop them.

_Even now... force solves little in the long run. If there are any Apes left, they will no doubt seek revenge, even though they instigated the conflict in the first place. Malefor... why? Why did he do this to us? If only we understood..._

'Nadina? Are you well?'

Terrador's rumbling voice brought her some immediate comfort, but was mixed in with the animosity she'd felt witnessing him tearing the troll apart. She still hadn't processed how much the war had changed them. She answered him with a sad gaze.

'I'm sorry... I was just lost in thought. I'm still... dwelling.'

Terrador approached her, but kept his distance. 'I understand. Recent years have that effect on older dragons such as we.'

Nadina shook her head weakly as she stared at the pavement. 'I just don't understand, Terrador. Without having the answers, I... feel like all this death has been for nothing – even if Malefor is gone. How can we prevent this from happening again if we don't know how it started?'

Terrador frowned empathetically; such thoughts had run across his mind already. 'I may know a starting point. Spyro once reported seeing depictions of Malefor in the ruins below Warfang, right here... Once we've secured the city's repairs, we could send salvaging teams. They might fill in the gaps in our history, especially those concerning Malefor and his own teachers – but he was cunning enough to destroy our own history with his grublin detachments in our temples.'

Nadina felt some of her tension ease. 'At least you're thinking ahead for once.'

Terrador raised a brow with amusement. 'What do you mean?'

She gave a light sigh. 'I suppose time can mellow even you. You don't remember how eager you were to charge into a problem before thinking it through? You nearly flooded a cave thanks to your bull-headedness.'

Terrador managed to chuckle. 'I took nearly drowning myself as a precious lesson.' They both laughed shortly, before Terrador's gaze grew more serious. 'Are you sure you want to stay here? I don't want you in solitude here if it means you'll only dwell on thoughts of... suffering. You could rejoin the other wind and earth dragons down in the district if it will help.'

Nadina snorted dismissively. 'You don't need to treat me gently anymore, Terrador. You need to worry a bit more about yourself, if our meeting was any consolation.'

There was a tense pause, before she sighed apologetically. 'I'm... sorry. It's not your fault, Terrador.'

'But it _is_ my responsibility,' he replied grimly. 'Many have suffered because of our failure. The raid... and the war... perhaps you're right. It has changed me for the worse.'

'But it's not too late.' Nadina murmured hopefully, looking into his forest green eyes. 'It's only so if you give up.'

He managed to crack a smile. 'I suppose with your help, I have little to worry about now.'

'I hope you don't forget it.'

He watched her file into her quarters; the next Earth chamber down the spiral from his own. It felt good to be on friendly terms with her again – comforting that someone he could trust would be by his side. After a short while, he followed and went back into his own chamber, and settled into a slumber more comfortable than they had been in a long while.


	7. Way of the Elements

Chapter 6

Way of the Elements

* * *

_It was a planet._

_Or, that's how it looked to him. He was transfixed by its size, staring at the edges of light that inched over its horizon. It rotated ever so slowly, its sheer mass seemingly slowing down time around it. _

_He raised a claw, as if reaching to touch it. He felt his head suddenly lighten, and the rotating cosmic body stopped moving altogether. _

_He narrowed his eyes, never taking his eyes off the planetoid, frowning in concentration. This training required the utmost focus, and patience to rival that of the indifferent body before him._

_After a minute, his body began to tremble violently, and he had no choice but to release the body. The pressure had become too much; like the planet was slowly crushing him the longer he exerted control over it._

If you master a planet, you master all within it.

_And yet he would never know if the body before him was one. It never grew closer or further away, even after endless, tireless flying in its direction. He found himself longing to touch its surface, to feel like he'd accomplished something. His jaw tightened as he loosed a low growl up at it._

Always, nothing. Nothing here changes. Nothing except me, the shadow, and the next entry into that world... _He listened to the faint, screeching breath echo through the expanse of twisting shapes and darkness. _Why must you taunt me? Always with your whispers, your orders, but never a reason...

_He stood there for a while yet again, staring at a pair of white eyes just visible beyond the planetoid._

You.

_They stared at each other, him with hatred and confusion, it with fixated indifference. Finally, he turned away, once again knowing it was useless._

I can never reach you. You have mastered this dimension, and its gravity, far more than I ever will.

_He bowed his head, sitting on his hind legs and wrapping his tail and wings around himself as if to ward off the cold; except it was to ward off something else entirely. Loneliness._

_His vision darkened as he felt weariness slowly overtake his body. However, like one last insult, he heard the sound of flapping wings in the distance._

No... I am too weary to flee...

_He raised his head weakly towards the sound, and curiosity suddenly stirred in his gut. The creatures were... shining. Flying creatures that almost glowed in his eyes, as almost anything could against the infinite void below. Their foreheads and shoulders were adorned in bright runes that flashed once in the limited glow from a lone, purple crystal._

_As the creatures flew below him, he wanted nothing more than to join them. But his exertions had left him too weak to move, let alone fly, and he could only watch as they passed in ignorance._

_Then they passed between him and the faint purple glow beneath. They were black; a colour that inversely glowed and stood out in the never-ending twilight._

* * *

Spyro woke in dismay, the last images of his dream quickly fading from his mind. He quickly rose and circled in place, trying to piece the images together whilst avoiding crushing his brother.

_It's all going away! Why can't I remember something like this? Something so important? Think, Spyro, think..._

Only a few images stuck in his mind. The first was a giant, moon-looking thing against a purple sky. But what was it? Nothing came to him, even after tapping his cranium a few times.

The next was a pair of white eyes, which made him instinctively shudder and pause in his movement. He knew what they were; during their travels through the enchanted forest, Sparx and Cynder reluctantly described him in the Well of Souls. Whatever those eyes in the dream were, they reeked of the presence that invaded his body.

After calming himself down, he concentrated again. There was something he was missing... a detail just as important as the previous. Dark, flying figures, that were incredibly familiar somehow...

_Black dragons! I saw them. Cynder's people!_

He rushed out the door to wake Cynder, but doubt stopped him in his tracks as he was about to burst through her curtains.

_Wait... black dragons in Convexity? What does it mean? And...well... Cynder seems content now. If I tell her so soon, she might start thinking about her past, even start remembering things that'll only bring her pain..._

He rested on his haunches and closed his eyes thoughtfully. _I should ask one of the Guardians for advice first. But I can't ignore this – two dreams like this means something._

He turned back to wake Sparx, seeing that the dawn was rising; he could guess without the sundial that it'd be time to get ready. He was surprised at how quickly they were adjusting to city life; the body woke up appropriately of its own accord.

As if in response, he heard Cynder began to move about in her room, though he inwardly hoped he hadn't woken her. After a few minutes, she emerged to stretch her wings in the morning sunlight, eyeing Spyro as he'd moved to look out the window.

'Morning, Spyro.'

'Uh... morning.' He responded with a slight delay, before cracking a small grin at her. 'Ready for putting your claws to better use?'

Cynder quickly noticed her innermost digits did seem a little sore from her practice on the leatherbark parchment yesterday. Flexing them in an attempt to unwind, she grinned back. 'Only one way to find out.' She glanced around the silent room. 'How come you're up all by yourself? Sparx is usually around to annoy us in positions like this.'

'He's still asleep.' Spyro gave a slight sigh. 'I had a... weird dream last night, Cynder. That's why I'm up early.'

Cynder raised a brow curiously. 'And that's why you seem a bit nervous? Not because of that little mess yesterday?'

Spyro flushed a little with embarrassment, but shook his head. 'It's a little like a dream that... eventually led me to the Well of Souls, and... well, you. It does have me worried.'

Cynder frowned sympathetically, trying not to remember the Eternal Night too much. 'So what will you do?'

'I'm just going to ask Volteer about it after our lesson. Maybe he can interpret its meaning better than I can. And with Ignitus...'

Cynder simply nodded respectfully, full knowing he needed to understand before sharing the details. 'I get it, Spyro. Just don't worry too much, OK? I'm guessing Volteer's lessons are going to get a lot harder, so you need to free up some space in that big brain of yours.'

Spyro chuckled lightly. 'You really mean that after that "little mess"?'

She stepped forward a little, nudging his shoulder playfully. 'Hey, it's not your fault you're the only drake in our group so far.'

Spyro's gaze fell a little, Cynder quickly stepping back. 'Oh, sorry. Should we... wake the others?'

'Yeah... that would be best.'

They found Sparx where Spyro left him; snoozing comfortably on Spyro's pillow. His brother moved to nudge him awake, but Cynder stopped him with her tail, an amused grin on her muzzle.

'Wait – I want to try something.'

Spyro watched with a mixture of concern and fascination as Cynder wrapped her body loosely around Sparx's form, positioning her face directly in front of him. Then she let a gentle gust from her mouth. Before Sparx's eyes were open, Spyro heard his yells pierce his eardrums.

'Aaah! AAAAAAAAAGH!'

Cynder just sat there as Sparx nearly hit the roof. Spyro leapt up onto the bed with concern as he eyed his brother.

'Sparx! Calm down! It's just us!' He glanced down at the coiled Cynder scornfully. 'You nearly gave him a heart attack!'

'Oh, calm down.' Cynder uncoiled herself, amusement ever present on her face. 'Admit it; part of you liked it too. Why didn't you stop me otherwise?'

They all fell silent when they heard loud scrambling from upstairs, before a loud screech echoed down through the hall. 'Assassins!'

'Oops,' was Cynder's only response under the annoyed stares of the brothers.

Solaris tore down the stairwell and thrust the curtain aside, her red eyes ablaze with energy. 'We're under attack! Send for reinf–'

Spyro quickly turned to her and raised his claws pleadingly. 'It's ok, Solaris! Cynder just played a prank on Sparx. There's no grublins or anything like that, alright?'

Solaris blinked with a flat stare, before adorning a grin resembling Cynder's. 'Oh. I suppose the plight of a firefly is of little concern.'

Sparx clasped his hands to his head with breaking frustration. 'My name's Sparx! Start using it, orange!'

Solaris just stared at him flatly. 'Really?'

She retracted her head before Sparx could retort again, sending him flying around in a circle before the entrance mumbling to himself. 'Geez, that's real sporting, everyone picking on the measly dragonfly...'

Spyro gazed at him sympathetically; remorsefully in Cynder's case.

'Sorry, Sparx, I couldn't help it. I just wanted to try it once!' She raised a claw formally. 'I promise I'll never do that again, alright?'

Sparx just eyed her warily, before turning his eyes to his brother. 'And you just let it happen?'

'Sorry, my brain's a little slow this morning.' He grinned slyly. 'You know how it is.'

Sparx eyed them both even more warily. 'I swear you dragons got a conspiracy happening. Mark my words! I'll figure out your secrets one day!'

Spyro smiled as his brother flew out to meet the morning sun. 'He'll be alright,' Spyro reassured her, still looking a little guilty. 'He's a lot tougher than he looks.'

* * *

After their little "joke" and the previous lessons of the day, Spyro let Sparx go off on his own in Warfang. He wasn't a dragon, after all, and didn't get much from the lessons anyway. Keeping up with Nadina in flight or riding her horns still proved exhausting to the dragonfly's relatively frail body.

The three dragons spotted Alaia already on the same electric balcony they'd used yesterday, seemingly relieved to see them. 'Thank goodness. I'd hate to be alone listening to Volteer in there.'

Solaris glanced around in awe, in stark contrast to her general reaction to the rest of Warfang. In fact, Spyro felt a little pleased that her reaction was very much like his own. 'So these are the Starlight Towers...'

'You're actually impressed?' Cynder responded in slight disbelief.

Solaris nodded humbly. 'Yes... actually, I... don't even know how to write. Literacy isn't a high priority for my people, after all.'

'But you want to?' Spyro asked.

'Yes. I long saw potential, but could never explore it myself.'

'Can you read, though?' Alaia asked timidly. 'I know it might sound rude, but... you won't learn much if you can't read.'

Solaris barked vehemently, causing Alaia to flinch. 'Of course I can read! How else could we even speak to other races, or receive messages? Though we could only reply with memory, I suppose.'

They showed Solaris through the library they'd passed through yesterday, Spyro imitating Volteer's explanations but more concisely this time around. Solaris absorbed the facts like a sponge, adopting a completely different demeanour to when they were hunting. Spyro felt himself loosen up around her as he talked – her cold hard stare was somehow gone in this place of knowledge.

Volteer was waiting alone this time, in the lecture hall – having just finished assembling a thick pile of scrolls stacked neatly to the right. At their footsteps, he turned around with a pleasant smile. 'Greetings again, students. Now if you'll-'

His wide jaw opened wide at the sight of Solaris, coming last after Spyro. The blue dragoness simply gazed up at the wide-eyed Guardian as if he was another tome.

'So this is the "Volteer" you speak of.'

The other three stepped away as Volteer lumbered forward clumsily, smile never leaving his face. 'So this is Solaris – the one Cyril spoke of! Splendid! To finally meet you is miraculous, stupendous, phenomenal, exceptional–'

'Skip the pleasantries, old one.'

Volteer was unperturbed by her retort. 'And a tongue on her as a bonus! Welcome!'

She just stared with visible discomfort. 'You're getting a little close for my taste.'

Volteer quickly raised his head and bowed apologetically, not worried despite her lack of acknowledgment or greeting. She didn't seem to be regarding him with the respect usually due to elders, like the rest of them did. Examining her further, Volteer's bright eyes ran over her wings and scales curiously. 'Fascinating. What species of dragon are you?'

_Oh, do _not _call me an ice dragon or I'll-_

'You're not an ice dragon.' She raised her brow with surprise. 'Nor a true fire dragon. Ice dragons have translucent horns and wing tips, not scales. And no fire dragon has those extra wing digits. What exactly are you?'

Solaris shifted uncomfortably as everyone looked to her, quickly figuring that she was hiding something. That he didn't even detect the deception before made Spyro question his own insight a little, given his strange experience upon meeting Alaia.

'You... are right. You're smarter than you appear, electric dragon.' Volteer waited patiently as she exhaled, glancing around at them stiffly. 'My people aren't simple fire dragons. We're... magma dragons.'

The youngsters simply stared at her curiously, but Volteer's jaw formed a tall oval shape before he broke into an ecstatic grin.

'Of course! The thick scales, the weaponised wings – even the rough demeanour, it all points to it! By the Ancestors, a magma dragon in my classroom! Incredible! It is truly unfortunate that relations to our overseas cousins have all but evaporated, becoming non-existent, deprived, even mythical among some circles, but here one is, standing right before me...'

'Ahem!' Solaris responded sharply. 'I think you're getting your hopes up. I'm... not a real magma dragon.'

Volteer simply stared back, dumbfounded. 'What? Are you, or are you not, a magma dragon?'

He put it so simply, but she felt it was far more complicated than that. Doubt still crawled through her head as to trust these new acquaintances or not.

'Let's just say... my father's line have always been full-blooded magma dragons. As do most who remain in our enclave with high stations and roles. But me... I only possess affinity for fire, and fire alone. Not the elegant blend with earth that most of them wield.'

Volteer looked as if to bombard her with questions, but he composed himself and glanced over to the white alcove. 'Perhaps... if you'd be willing to share more about your people... would you speak for us? We were about to start on the origins of the elements – but a personal account of your people would prove to be far more valuable at this stage. Will you indulge us? It would be a welcome addition to our current trove of knowledge.'

Solaris thought her options over. She could easily respect Volteer's desire for knowledge, especially if he'd once had access to their history and culture before. She nodded after a short pause.

'Very well. Though I am yet young, and so the issues of the full-grown adults are still closed to me.'

Volteer shook his head dismissively, unable to contain the excitement on his face – joining the other youngsters in an alcove of his own, which he was clearly too large to fit comfortably. Spyro quickly prepared a leatherbark sheet in front of him, but Cynder and Alaia were content to listen as Solaris circled around to face them from the white circle. She exhaled once, speaking calmly and collectively.

* * *

'If I haven't made it apparent already, the culture of Magma dragons is far different from yours. In our separation from you, from this continent – Neratha, enclosing the kingdom of Avalar, we've come to call you "Guardian Dragons". An ironic name, though... it's passed down that you and all the races living here have suffered because of your weakness in the face of disaster.'

Volteer gave a slight frown which vanished quickly. He didn't like to be reminded of failure, and didn't anticipate their distant cousins to look down on them so for it. Still, he did ask for information; she was just being a little too honest.

'How were you affected by the war?' Alaia asked hesitantly, not sure if she wanted the possibly gruesome details that Solaris would most probably recount. She felt relieved when Solaris adamantly shook her head.

'Not as much as the Guardians, that's for sure. Ground armies did attack, yes... but the extreme environment undid them more than we did. We live low and in harsh conditions – in isolation from the rest of our continent – only getting by from the brief cycles of forest nearby that are frequently burned down by lava eruptions from the Infernal Chasm. This is a chain of flowing lava that acts as a natural barrier to land-bound creatures, eventually running into the backdrop of the ocean, slowly building more land behind us. Even trolls can't survive long in there, and they have no ships to sail around. Even if they did, they'd need metal ships, as any wood burns when it comes too close to our dwellings. Anytime a raiding party or army attacked, we'd send each other signals by firing large flares into the sky. The only real threat were the degenerate wyverns – which were weakened flying through the heat and ash, and were easy to pick off. The rest were either burned to a crisp in trying to reach us, or retreated at the losses they took in their few attempts. These were few and far between; each massive but utterly futile. Wherever the reinforcements were coming from, it was leagues away. Whenever we could afford to, we sent raiding parties of our own to stop them setting up bases and keep them off our land as far as we could fly.'

'How far was that?' Cynder asked guardedly, wondering if they would have bothered helping them here were it within their ability.

Solaris shook her head regretfully. 'Full-grown adults are too bulky and massive to travel long distances, and... well, we are averse to seawater. We are more likely to drown because of our weight, and after a few members nearly sank after a short flight out to sea, it was pointless.'

The audience as a whole felt relieved at the account. The Magma dragons, from her account, were almost untouched by the war.

'So that's how you could come...' Volteer wondered out loud. 'Because you're young enough. Are your scales still thickening?'

Solaris lowered her head, seemingly troubled. 'Not... anymore. As I said, I'm not like other Magma dragons.' She raised her head stiffly. 'I wanted to come as soon as the tectonic activity ended, as our volcano was out of control for days... and suddenly stopped. We felt a shift in it... like a – wound that was miraculously closed and healed within the volcano. At least, that's how my father described it. There are very few powers we know that are capable of that.'

She gazed down at Spyro, once again in fascination. 'I wanted to find out who, and what, saved us. And I found you, Spyro. You and your power – incredible for one of your age.'

Spyro stopped trying to write, strangely flattered by her tone of admiration. 'Um... thanks. But to be honest... I just want to learn about being a dragon – not really a powerful one.'

Solaris widened her eyes in surprise. 'But without power, what kind of a dragon are you?' When Spyro just remained silent, she snorted dismissively. 'To make a long story short, though, I came here on my own as a messenger; that the magma dragons are alive and well, even if we're separated. I also came to meet the apparent saviour of our world, but so far I'm... disillusioned.'

Volteer quickly interjected to change the subject, spotting the discomfort growing on Spyro's muzzle. 'You're digressing slightly, my dear. Can you tell us more about how your people function as a society?'

Solaris' eyes lingered on Spyro for a moment, before she returned her attention to the rest.

'...of course.' She retracted her gaze from Spyro, but he still felt the lingering effect from her gaze. 'We have a strict structure in terms of families and blood relations. Spyro, Cynder – you remember my reaction to those mates as neighbours?' As they nodded, she peered at them all with apparent censure. 'To me, there would be no point to such a union – the mixed blood of fire and earth dragons has already been distilled and refined in us Magma dragons. Such tradition is – hammered into us from an early age; hence my natural aversion to it. For that is our namesake – using a combination of Fire and Earth abilities to manipulate – or with enough energy – generate magma constructs.'

'That sounds amazing!' Spyro exclaimed. 'Is that how you build your homes? Or city?'

She narrowed her brow in slight annoyance. 'In a way, yes. Our city – if you could call it that – is a carefully constructed series of rock pods, running down in raised tracks running down the side of our volcano, Infernal Breath. This is where we live, normally, but we also have hunting parties that stay in various outposts when gathering food.'

Alaia managed to speak up. 'You seem... a little sad.'

'What do you expect?' Solaris snapped lightly. 'I'm the only magma dragon capable of crossing the ocean separating our continents. With my commitment to stay here, I will not see my people again for years.'

'Then why don't you go back to visit?' Spyro asked guardedly. Solaris, however, just sighed.

'This was determined by both sides to be the best solution... at least for a time.'

She looked as if that was all she wanted to say. Volteer felt a little disappointed, as he'd only filled two sheets of bark with runes. He wanted to ask more about family structure, but decided against it given that she didn't want to talk anymore. He chastised himself for forgetting how young they all still were – family would no doubt involve mating rituals, and he hadn't even started basic history!

'You look like you're finished, my dear. Do you have anything else to add before we can move on to our next lesson?'

Solaris shook her head slowly, turning her gaze towards the open window overlooking the valley of Avalar. 'If you find yourselves hunting out again, I will need to send a message back to my people on the way, should I join you on the way.'

* * *

Spyro was significantly less cheery in class that day, despite his previous enthusiasm for this exact line of learning. Solaris stayed in her own circular bay away from the trio of youngsters, but close enough to observe how they wrote and their technique for doing so. As Volteer stood ready with his pile of references, Cynder instinctively glanced over at Spyro when he announced they'd be learning about fire dragons this day. He was so bubbly about what he read, but Solaris' attitude seemed to have drained him of his enthusiasm, and as Volteer began to explain the general anatomy of fire dragons, she leaned over to him on her right.

'Psst. Spyro. You know all this, right?'

Spyro took a moment to answer, turning his head while trying not to alert Volteer to their whispering. 'Well... yeah.'

'Then say something!'

'... and I believe, like Ignitus, that fire dragons sometimes possess the ability to communicate through the mind...'

'Like the pool of visions?' Spyro managed to speak up.

Volteer turned and nodded pleasantly. 'Yes. Oh, how I would long to use it... I envied Ignitus in that manner. Such a gift...'

Solaris had managed to imitate Alaia and Spyro to such a degree that she was writing nearly as fast as Cynder was by now. Spyro watched her, rather impressed by her progress. _She didn't even know how to stand an hour ago..._

'What's the pool of visions?' Alaia spoke up curiously at the subject.

'It was part of the old dragon temple out near the wetlands,' Volteer explained, 'before the Ape occupation. Though thanks to a younger Spyro and Ignitus, we reclaimed it; for a time. Of better days...'

Solaris paused and glanced at Spyro again before continuing to write, her expression unreadable.

Spyro didn't want Volteer to stop, so he prompted another line of questioning.

'What happened to the Pool of visions, Volteer? Was it destroyed when Malefor reclaimed the temple?'

Volteer shook his head thoughtfully. 'I don't believe so. That ring of power would have created quite a disturbance if destroyed – and would have caused Ignitus a great deal of pain, given his level of interaction and magical bond with its energies. I believe Malefor wanted to try and use it himself to gain leverage in the war, but since he was not a fire dragon, he couldn't. Otherwise we would have lost the war a long time ago. Perhaps it's still up there somewhere.'

Spyro retracted his head slightly when Volteer gazed at him and leaned forward as if making out an obscured rune. 'Hmm... perchance, Spyro, were you ever able to use it, back in the pleasant days? It might shed some light on your ancestry.'

Spyro bowed his head, trying to remember. 'I... I don't know, Volteer. I was never able to use it, standing right in front of it... and the dreams I did have were from the Chronicler, not the Pool.'

Volteer paused before raising his head again. 'Ah, well – I digress. We still have more to go before I get to the truly remarkable origins of the element of fire. I apologise if any of you doze off during this next hour – it's happened before, so I won't necessarily take offense.'

Spyro and Solaris listened equally as raptly, their claws working without them having to think about it, while Cynder and Alaia had to concentrate a great deal. Still, Cynder found some things about the fire dragon anatomy fascinating. Most grew a total of four horns; two primary ones emerge rapidly at hatching, while a smaller pair erupt during a male's final growth spurt. However, only a single pair of facial frills would emerge by then; the crest and frills of both males and females only grew as the dragon aged over decades. The colour of the frills was what varied the most between individual dragons.

Volteer quickly abandoned his pile of scrolls and parchment, knowing most of the details by heart. He sat down in an attempt to make himself comfortable as he continued, though he kept standing every time he changed to a diagram or illustration to demonstrate a point.

Then, after spouting the infertile age of five-hundred, Volteer stood there, panting heavily, looking incredibly satisfied with himself and, seemingly, how much Cynder's wrist was throbbing at that moment. Everyone else looked equally exhausted, though Solaris masked this with her indifferent expression.

'Time for a break, I think.'

The students could only nod as Volteer edged towards a bow window, content to sunbath while expanding his wing membranes to absorb as much light as possible. He spoke without turning his head from the view.

'Feel free to explore the tower for a bit. Please be back within half an hour. Now I must... recuperate.'

Cynder was the first to zip up the stairs towards the balconies, figuring they would get an even better view than Volteer. The others were quick to follow her, though Solaris moved off to her own balcony while Spyro and Alaia joined Cynder. Spyro swallowed his displeasure at the previous talk to glance at Alaia, trying to smile.

'So... Alaia? Why don't you tell us a bit more about yourself? We haven't really talked outside the classroom.'

Alaia shied away from him a little, but cleared her throat all the same. 'Well, um... yes, I suppose you're right. I'm...' She drew her muzzle uncomfortably. 'I'm still not used to living in this city. It's so big... I only really know the towers because they're so tall and distinct. And Nadina's too busy to lead us much anymore, so I usually stay with my parents otherwise.'

'Would you say you're... happy here?' Cynder asked gently, turning her gaze away from the view.

Alaia shrugged. 'Well... we haven't been here long enough to say for sure, but it is a beautiful place, especially from up here... Hopefully it'll be repaired soon. My dad said they might be holding a special event when the repairs are done.'

'Really?' Spyro mused. 'Hmm... maybe they'll have a feast to mark the end of the war.' He widened his eyes in realisation. 'Uh... I don't know what dragons do for fun, apart from that.'

Cynder shook her head empathetically. 'Me neither.'

'Well...' Alaia spoke up knowingly. 'I've got a couple of ideas.'

'Like what?' Cynder asked.

Alaia gave a small smile as she glanced at the ceiling. 'Well... dad talked about things we used to do when he was young. I think, quite possibly, that Warfang may hold contests, including flying races and fighting tournaments.'

Cynder suddenly felt very nervous at the thought of crowds watching her fly. 'Will we have to take part?'

Alaia raised a brow in confusion at her. 'Um... no. It's called a contest for a reason... if you enter, it means you're confident enough in your abilities to stand a chance at winning. And it would be completely unfair for younger dragons like us to compete against adults.'

'Dragons... can fight for fun?' Spyro asked in disbelief, images of war dispelling such an image as quickly as he imagined it.

Alaia nodded, with Spyro still gazing at her uncertainly. 'They're usually supervised and have strict rules to prevent injuring each other too much. But dad always boasted he was one of the best – and fights could last for hours, given how prideful some dragons can be.'

That, on the other hand, sounded like something both Spyro and Cynder would excel at. Cynder adopted a proud smirk as she glanced at Spyro. 'I wonder how well we'd do if we fought each other?'

Spyro adopted a lightly fearful expression. 'Hey, I wouldn't want to fight you. I've seen how scary you can be.' His thoughts returned to their training, especially Terrador's part in their education. 'You know, we might have to anyway... once Terrador starts teaching us combat training.'

Alaia was terrified at the thought of fighting either of them. 'Wait, what? I don't want to fight either of you!'

'Relax, Alaia.' Cynder said. 'Like you said, there would probably be rules about it; and supervised.'

'Still...' The olive dragoness' cheeks sagged. 'I probably wouldn't stand a chance.'

Spyro realised that she, most likely, didn't have much combat experience, and he smiled gently. 'Well, don't worry, I promise I'll go easy on you if it ever came to that. I wouldn't want to hurt–'

'There you go again.'

The three faced the blue dragoness as she strode across the library floor. Cynder frowned slightly, but Spyro eyed her resolutely, as if telling her "_I'll handle it". _He faced her stiffly, deciding enough was enough.

Solaris stopped in front of them, folding her wings as she sat, still frowning at the purple dragon. 'You won't do her any favours in concessions. You'll only make her weaker by feeding her doubt in herself. Don't encourage weakness.'

Her words rung in his head, but he was too frustrated with her to listen right now, and stamped a foot down causing the floor to tremble.

'What's your problem?' He retorted simply, but she was unmoved. 'It's like every time I do something, you point out how stupid or wrong it is. But why do you think I need to answer to you? You weren't here before – you're a visitor! How would you know what the purple dragon's supposed to be like!?'

Solaris nodded slightly as if she approved. 'You're right – you don't answer to me. But tell me, do you answer to the world?'

Spyro was about to answer, but froze as he realised what she meant.

'You... what do you know about the world?' Cynder asked guardedly. 'Didn't you spend most of your life with your people?'

Solaris nodded. 'Correct. And I haven't been here long, like you mentioned... but I do have eyes. I do hear things – and I know what you did, Spyro. All I'm trying to do is prepare you for the consequences.'

'Consequences?' Spyro repeated, a strange, stinging feeling entering his gut.

'Do you really think that the Realms will return to peace, and so quickly? That everyone's grateful to you for saving the world? While I am, I can't help but notice you're ignorant to your position.' She narrowed her eyes. 'I just read a report from an electric dragon commander, named Lattik, accounting the casualties after a battle on the outskirts of Avalar, near a location called "Tower Dam". His troops fought as well as they could, but in the end, after years of battles; this one being the last in line, they didn't know what their sacrifice really meant. In his eyes, the only hope for defeating Malefor – you – was nowhere to be seen. Despite a Guardian named "Ignitus" insisting you'd return, he didn't truly believe it. After three years of waiting without hope, I can't say I blame him. The longer he waited, the more of his troops died alongside him. It was almost like they'd given up.' She raised a claw and pointed. 'Their deaths in despair is your responsibility, Spyro, and you know it.'

Cynder was shocked. It was like, suddenly, all their efforts over the past months were... less. She'd mostly followed Spyro's lead, though, and didn't feel the full weight of Solaris' accusation. It would only be worse for him, and from the look on his face, she could tell he was crushed.

'Spyro, you don't need to listen to this...'

'No, she's right.' He inhaled heavily before eyeing Solaris uncertainly. 'I know that I made that decision... but... what am I supposed to do about it? I can't bring people back to life, and I'm in no position to offer my condolences, as the dragonkin are still scattered over the land...'

Solaris shook her head slowly, losing the stiff expression as she'd gotten her point across. 'I'm only saying that you shouldn't ignore the influence you will have. Even young as you are, other dragons will look to you for guidance, like Alaia here. You should know when you're helping or hurting them with your... kindness.'

She didn't say another word as she passed up the staircase. Alaia trembled a little as she came out from behind them.

'She's scary.'

Spyro's frustrated feelings with her were nearly gone, replaced with a mixture of clarity and shame. 'I... think she's just trying to help, even if she's really harsh about it.' He turned to glance at Cynder, grimacing uneasily. 'No offense, Cynder... but I think I'd fight you over her any day.'

Cynder simply smiled back at him, sympathy adorning her face before the three prepared to look through the building a little more before the break was over.

* * *

Solaris had pulled Volteer from his trance by the time they got back, clearly impatient to get back to the history lesson. Despite himself, Spyro felt his previous enthusiasm return, now that he knew Solaris had her own reasons for her treatment of him. He quickly figured that going easy on an opponent for mercy's sake was outright discouraged among the magma dragons; or worse.

Volteer stood at the central alcove, yawning a little before he cleared his throat.

'And so we come to the final module on Fire dragons; where they inherited the power, near the dawning of our race. Unfortunately, I don't know as much as I'd like to about these precursor dragons; those who had no powers at all. Makes me wonder how they could have possibly survived without the omnipresent elements among us today... How despondent they must have been!'

'Volteer!'

The electric Guardian quickly shook himself at Solaris' interruption. 'Ah, yes! So... can anyone tell me what they know of this subject before we begin?'

Alaia and Volteer's eyes shot over to Solaris expectantly, but she didn't have anything to say. Spyro raised his head instead.

'Volteer? The fire dragons got their powers from Zhuroth – a giant salamander made completely of fire.'

'Yes! Well done, Spyro.' Volteer puffed his frills with approval. 'I see you've already read something of the subject – however, how did Zhuroth bestow his powers upon them?'

Spyro frowned slightly. 'Well... the book I read only speculated about several conflicting tales, as there doesn't seem to be proof for any one over the others.'

Volteer nodded. 'A fair assessment.' He began pacing slowly around his alcove. 'It is clear that the ability to breathe fire allowed the early dragons to master their environment and thrive... for a time. This would allow them to adjust the temperature of their immediate environment, defend themselves against their enemies or possibly, even their predators... and cook food! The most important, in my opinion.

'I will tell you my own – possible rendition, a result of commingling tales that I've gone over in my span of years. Regardless of what the precursor dragons were or how they came to be, it's quite likely that they were suffering from a period of famine. From what I've gathered, this mostly was a result of a volcanic explosion that sent lava seeping through the once vibrant forests and grasslands, killing or driving away most of the dragons' natural prey. Unfortunately, this eruption occurred right in the middle of winter, leaving most dragons hungry or even starving, and they did not have the energy reserves to migrate away to find their prey; not even the strongest among them. Without food, along with the coming cold as the lava chilled, it was unlikely most of the tribe would survive.'

Solaris narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. 'If they couldn't survive the cold, why would they ever live in such a place?'

Volteer grimaced considerately. 'One possible explanation is that the eruption wiped out their shelters, along with most of the raw materials from trees needed to construct them. Though there will be other holes in my tale; it is, after all, a theory.'

He cleared his throat as he continued. 'While I haven't found a name for him, their leader decided to venture deep into the volcano looking for new places to live. However, the exterior of the volcano was barren and completely exposed to the elements, forcing him to crawl into its mouth. Now, the accounts afterwards vary wildly. Some claim he nearly starved to death searching inside. Some say he proved himself through traversing a variety of challenges through the lava tubes. Regardless, he eventually encountered Zhuroth in a wide underground cavern containing the lava of the now dormant volcano. He threw himself before the creature and begged for help.

'Now, Zhuroth listened and heard his pleas, and proposed his tribe come and live in the cavern until winter was over. While the leader was ever thankful, he still had to return to retrieve his tribe, and he suffered climbing some of the way with the exposure to heat. He eventually came back and delivered the message to his people, but died from his exertions not long after.

'Without their leader, all the dragons could do was follow his directions, and true to his word, Zhuroth allowed them to live with him until winter was over. It is unclear how, but when they emerged, they were – changed. They had become fire dragons within the short span of months. How, though? It's possible that after feeding on Zhuroth's similar prey, such as magma worms, fire beetles and buffalo beetles, they adapted the hot fluid in the insects to be expelled at will. A simpler and more ritualistic spin says that Zhuroth simply cradled them in hibernation with him during the time.

'However, what's truly fascinating to me is his last words in the numerous documents and accounts, all leaving the same line – "leave my firebrand upon the world as you return to it". This begs the question – why? Why did he help those dragons? It's rare for a creature to sacrifice its own resources without some sort of payoff.'

Solaris spoke up cautiously. 'Perhaps he just wanted to destroy other lands? It sounds like he wanted them to spread destruction around – he could have caused the volcano's eruption. Even then, he might have engineered the whole thing just so he could get his powers out of the volcano and exposed to the world.'

'Why would he want to do that?' Spyro asked quizzically, to which Solaris just shrugged.

'Perhaps he was simply tired of being trapped and sought some vessels to carry some of him with them.'

Volteer smiled at her with approval. 'An interesting theory. I must say, that's not the first motivation I'd conjure.'

Spyro twisted his muzzle. 'Maybe he did simply out of kindness? Maybe he was once a dragon himself? An ancient dragon that lost the use of his wings as he adapted... and passing on part of himself that can actually explore the world, while he might be stuck down there...'

Solaris glanced at him flatly. 'Now you're being ridiculous. If he was so kind, some others would have lived to talk about him.'

Volteer gave a quick shake of the head. 'No, no... both of you have a point. I'll be sure to add this to my discussions of the topic... ' He turned his head towards a bow window, and his face fell when he saw the time on the sundial. 'Oh, but would you look at that. How time flies when you're carousing...'

Cynder felt like her brain was about to burst. All these questions and arguments just seemed to tire her out, instead of invigorating her like it did Spyro or Solaris. Though she felt better as she told herself that hunting was coming up again, and definitely looked forward to stretching her wings and body out in flight.

Volteer nodded to himself as if still musing over the discussion. 'Yes, yes... time for you youngsters to go off with Nadina... she'll be waiting in the main courtyard. Off you go, now.'

As the three females moved towards the electric balcony downstairs, Spyro and Cynder glanced at each other before he approached Volteer. However, he was interrupted by a golden glow fling into his face, and he cracked a smile.

'Hey, Sparx. Have fun without me?'

Sparx nodded vehemently. 'Ah... yes! Mason let me get a tour of the stoneworks! Pretty heavy stuff, but really cool. Anyway...' He pursed his lips with displeasure. 'Nadina had to find me. It seems you're overdue for a hunt, though I saw those other girls leave without you. What's the deal?'

'I needed to talk to Volteer about something... sensitive.'

Sparx narrowed his eyes, hovering down to stare at Spyro inches away. 'Hmm... you're right. I haven't seen you this serious since the days back in the temple. And then the whole "DEMISE!" and "DOOM!" fiasco and whatnot came up.' He clenched his teeth a little. 'Don't tell me this _is_ a demise-slash-doom thing?'

Spyro shook his head slowly. 'No, but it's still serious.'

'Fine. Let's go, then.'

Spyro smiled gratefully; having someone like Sparx around immediately lifted his spirits, even if it didn't always work.

'Volteer?'

The Guardian was already leaking his thoughts onto another leatherbark in the corner of the room, murmuring to himself with simultaneous etching sounds without even acknowledging the approaching brothers over his shoulder.

'... in accordance with the previous evidence for Zhuroth's identity, a purple dragon of prophecy and rare magma dragon have garnered their input, adding credence to two long-standing viewpoints – one, a possible degenerate (or incarnate, depending on your perspective) dragon, or a very potent and dangerous fire spirit. Still, if only an expedition could be conducted on concrete evidence as to the correct lava expeller, possibly with the adapted magma dragons leading the forefront into its mouth...'

Sparx simply folded his arms and glanced at Spyro, who nodded. The dragonfly quickly flew in front of Volteer's face, waving his arms about.

'Hey, airhead! Gotta problem here.'

Volteer stared at him before he quickly stood up, his flowing thoughts still coming out. 'Problem? What problem? The theory? Of course it is! Opinions constantly shifting, new evidence, viewpoints, influence! Need more data, need to analyse... If only Solaris were more forthcoming... or an elder! So much we could learn-'

Sparx answered him with an annoyed stare which cut him off. 'Ah – no. Spyro?'

Volteer turned to face Spyro curiously, who greeted him with an awkward smile. 'While that is interesting and all, Volteer – I wanted to ask you something serious.'

'Serious, Spyro?' He wondered gently, curling his body in a sitting position. 'Please, do elaborate, young dragon. If there's one pastime I enjoy, it's good old-fashioned problem-solving.'

Sparx perched himself on Spyro's shoulder as he sat on the stone floor, the purple dragon trying to find the right words so as to not alarm Volteer in any way.

'Volteer – I had a very weird dream last night. You know, like that time I dreamt about the tree?'

The electric Guardian nodded shortly. 'Yes – a terrible business, all that. Little did we know that you would disappear for years trying to find it... and the Chronicler.'

'This time... it was like I was _in _convexity. It reminded me too much of the Dark Master's portal...'

'Indeed?' Volteer raised a claw to his spiky chin. 'Describe more of what you saw.'

As Spyro went through the three key facts still present in his head, Volteer listened with fascination, but looked quite troubled when Spyro mentioned the eyes. Spyro quickly guessed that he was just as clueless to their nature as he was, even with all he knew. And then he described the sighting of the black dragons.

'... And that's what really bothers me right now.' Spyro managed to finish. 'The first thing I wanted to do was tell Cynder, but when I really thought about it...'

'...It would not help the situation?' Volteer finished, and Spyro nodded.

'I mean, what could she do?' Spyro questioned, more to himself than to anyone else. 'It's not like we can just go in and out of Convexity whenever we want. It's most likely impossible to ever go back – so she might just be stuck wondering what happened to her people for the rest of her life; instead of living a normal life just like any other dragon.'

Volteer gazed at him sympathetically. 'And yet here you are, stuck in a similar predicament.'

'I didn't choose to have that dream, Volteer.'

'Yes...' Volteer's eyes rose to the ceiling thoughtfully. 'What choice you have is what to do with it.'

Volteer remained silent for a moment, before his eyes brightened, spurning him to turn right around and sift through his pile of scrolls.

'Hey!' Sparx objected as he flew upwards to hover in the air indignantly. 'Are your books so important that you forget what we just talked about?'

Volteer didn't seem to hear him. Spyro watched on intently, wondering if Volteer really had forgotten.

Thankfully, Volteer quickly returned with a single scroll in his jaws, laying it out between them, but Spyro couldn't read the inverted runes. Sparx just stared at the small drops of saliva coating its edge in horror.

'Ah... here we are! Legends of Neratha – chapter twenty-seven – the disappearance of the shadow dragons.'

_Disappearance?_

Spyro slid his head forward with interest, but Volteer quickly skimmed over some of the words solemnly.

'There is very little left of them, I'm afraid. I wanted to start transcribing these scrolls we saved during the war, but few others are willing to help. But I digress.' He waved his claw over its entirety. 'Before I continue, Spyro – are you sure you want to hear this? What we have is rather speculative, but I did not intend to include this in my lessons... for good reason. There is nothing valuable to be learned from this.'

Spyro glanced away grimly for a moment. '... Yes. Please, Volteer.'

Volteer managed a small grin. 'Very well. What we know about the shadow dragons is... virtually... nothing.'

'What?' was Sparx's only reaction.

'You mean... you don't know anything?' Spyro echoed in disbelief.

Volteer frowned modestly. 'I'm the most familiar with our lore and stories, Spyro – and all I know is that they existed. And then they disappeared – both from the world and our record books. We don't even know when they disappeared, and they were very reclusive if no records of them exist, even taking into account Malefor's targeting of such records. If your dream was a bit more... solidified, it would be treated as a grand discovery! That they may have disappeared into Convexity at some point, departing from this world... But as you said, knowing or even theorising this does not help matters. I know little more about Convexity than the elusive dragons themselves.'

Spyro groaned heavily. 'So what now? What should I do, Volteer? I can't go looking for this place... wherever it is. But if I don't, I feel like I'm ignoring it... and that feels – _wrong_.'

'I understand, Spyro. But as you said, what can you do? I believe your place is here – but traces of your power will try and draw away from it. Perhaps that happened to Malefor as well...' His eyes fell a little, but he quickly drew Spyro's gaze firmly. 'Don't let this worry you, Spyro. Ignitus trusted you and your spirit with everything he had, and we'll do our best to do the same for you.'

Spyro didn't feel better. The thought of becoming exactly like Malefor stung his body like an electric shock.

'But how do you know? I know I don't want to... but I didn't want these dreams, either! What if it gets worse? If you really don't know anything about Convexity–'

'Spyro, calm down!' Sparx flew down in front of him, eyeing him decisively. 'Malefor's gone, remember? No brother of mine would ever be like that creep – don't you forget it.'

They glanced into each other's eyes, and Spyro nodded slowly. 'I guess I'm just... confused. Ignitus told me that I was nature's way of... balancing itself. The opposite of Malefor – a force of preservation, not destruction. But... Solaris... the way she talks, it's as if she wants me to be like Malefor. What if more dragons like her expect me to keep training to get stronger? So... if Malefor's gone... what force am I supposed to resist? Will my existence put the world out of balance again? I just don't know...'

Sparx exhaled worriedly. 'You're thinking too much, buddy.'

Volteer nodded at the dragonfly with approval. 'I'm inclined to agree, Spyro. This isn't healthy – especially for a creature with our lifespan. You showed fine judgement in asking me before making such a decision, but this backwards thinking which only causes you anxiety is something you need to overcome. This is part of the reason why I wanted to teach Cynder and you; to give you the mental capacity befitting your age. There's no need to be so stringent.'

Spyro paused and bowed his head thoughtfully, setting his thoughts back on to the everyday problems and benefits of a normal life, even with the looming threat of the dreams. He told himself that if he could ever find the means to investigate this dream, he would; but right now Warfang still needed his help. If that ever happened, he would tell Cynder then.

'Thank you, Volteer. I'll... try my best.'

Sparx grinned with approval along with Volteer, who nodded and returned to his notes. 'Don't worry about the other Guardians, Spyro. I'll make sure they get word of what you saw – and perhaps return to you with any new developments they come up with. In the meantime...' His eyes widened in alarm. 'You need to catch up with the others! Hurry!'

Spyro immediately blanched at the thought of Solaris chastising him upon finding they'd finished without him.

'Let's go, Sparx!'

Sparx momentarily thought of refusing, but one look at Volteer and the thought of being stuck there with him quickly changed his mind.

'OK! Can I hold onto your horn?'

'... fine. Just don't fidget.'

Volteer began humming to himself as the brothers scrambled downstairs to follow the hunting party, hunger beginning to claw at Spyro's belly.

* * *

Terrador and Cyril had just finished processing a mated pair of fire dragons who'd just arrived, along with a string of mole refugees; all directed by guards to find new homes. The meetings went relatively smoothly within the Grand Hall, as the Kennel mounds adjacent to the Elemental District weren't lacking for space, along with the District itself for the dragon pair. Yet it wasn't easy to hear how their one clutch of eggs was destroyed in their lair, beginning a life of constant movement and evasion. It was hard enough for dragons to raise eggs without the external threat – at least now they would be safe.

However, just when the pair was preparing to retire, a wind dragoness, of a shimmering silver, landed heavily just outside the doors and scrambled inside before the guards started closing the doors. 'Terrador, sir! First scout reporting after patrol.'

By the look on her face, it appeared to them she'd had troubling sightings. Cyril cleared his throat as he mentally prepared himself. 'Let's hear it then, madam.'

She stood before them for a moment to get her bearings before she eyes them resolutely, her gaze lingering on Terrador.

'I skirted the south borders, and came to rest at the cliffs overlooking Elipp Bay. While there, I saw the faint outlines of ships high up in the sky. I believe they were Skavenger ships.'

Terrador and Cyril glanced at each other uncertainly.

'Could they be the ones which captured Spyro and Cynder?' Cyril wondered. 'What could they want with us now? If they think they can take dragon captives – they've got another thing coming!'

'I understand, Cyril.' Terrador frowned thoughtfully. 'But we can't attack them before we're aware of their intent.' He looked to the scout. 'How many ships did you spot?'

'Five or six, sir. It may only be a scouting party; that or most of their fleet was wiped out a long time ago.'

_Spyro couldn't have done that – could he? _Cyril found the image of the young dragon destroying scores of ships a little too ridiculous to believe. More likely, their own neglect and lack of leadership might have separated them from the bulk of their forces, especially after years of fleeing Malefor's forces.

Terrador nodded gratefully. 'Thank you; you may go and rest if you wish. So long as you've nothing else to report?'

She appeared unusually pleased with his words. 'No, sir.'

She soon departed after a bow, but not before she ran her eyes over Terrador again, earning a somewhat uncomfortable silence. Cyril simply eyed his companion with slight displeasure at the sight.

'Sometimes I wonder if your females' return is a good thing or not.'

Terrador raised a brow uncomfortably. 'I... I'm not sure what you mean, my friend.'

'Please. I'm perfectly aware that you might be... tempted to shirk your duties among female company, in a manner of speaking. The problem is that your duties are far more important, especially right now.'

Terrador growled shortly. 'I know that. I haven't forgotten I'm a Guardian, Cyril, so you needn't worry yourself. Let's discuss the matter at hand.'

The two Guardians were soon debating the next course of action within their heads. Cyril clearly wanted to take the initiative and send a party to investigate right away, but Terrador doubted that they'd attack such a well-defended city for slaves or combatants when their chances were so low.

No, he believed that their appearance had little to do with them directly.

'Terrador, speak your thoughts. You know we can ill afford to tolerate those vermin so close to the city.'

Terrador shook his head slowly. 'Unless their current leader is a complete fool, they wouldn't attack Warfang with the odds so stacked against them.'

Cyril snorted derisively. 'Their leader _was _a fool. So much that he had to use Chirrops to speak for him! At least from what Spyro told us. So they very well may attack us – and we will respond accordingly in that eventuality.'

Terrador nodded his agreement. '_If _they do. In the meantime, however – I think we should scout out the situation. They could be seeking shelter from the war, just like many refugees recently. It would be dishonourable to attack an opponent who may be in no shape to defend itself.'

Cyril frowned expectantly. 'I wonder what the Skavengers would say to our 'honour'. It would most likely be similar to our previous encounters – with them laughing in our faces and throwing their crude weapons. I'll not trust those scum.'

'I'm not asking you to.' Terrador growled a little before giving a deep yawn. 'I'll have to think on this. We can discuss this tomorrow morning before Volteer's last lesson for the week. Until then, Cyril.'

Cyril watched the Earth Guardian leave carefully. Only now he began to wonder if Terrador had the mental discipline to carry out his duties to the letter and deal with distractions appropriately. Or if he could handle both like he could, which was an extremely rare trait in a dragon. That discipline, at least, was one reason Cyril believed the Ice dragons were among the most fitting for governing nations.

He dismissed these thoughts with a misty snort as he followed Terrador to reflect on the Skavengers and their possible future dealings. He believed down to his very being that they would only mean trouble.


	8. First Crash

Chapter 7

First Crash

* * *

The next morning, Cyril and Terrador woke up earlier than usual at the looming pirate presence on their region's borders on their minds. After emerging from their quarters, they quickly gathered in the grand hall, awaiting the first report from the next wind scout whom they sent at dawn. With the wind dragons' typical speed, they expected the report at any minute.

When they finally caught the landing of a dragon, it wasn't the scout like they were expecting but Volteer, quickly speeding across the ground towards them, cutting through the thick beams of morning sunlight as he passed over the hall's stone floor.

Cyril quickly cleared his throat, eyeing the electric Guardian with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. 'Volteer, is this urgent? This is supposed to be your last day.' By the look on Volteer's face, Cyril quickly guessed he knew he was needed. How did he know so much without even trying? 'Well… we did want to talk to you… but you're up earlier than usual too.'

Volteer nodded quickly. 'Yes, too much thinking, developments, problems for our young Spyro. I still haven't reached a solution. Not when Convexity is involved…'

'Slow down, Volteer,' Terrador urged, a worried look adorning his muzzle. 'Spyro is in trouble? But he hasn't even started elemental or physical training yet. What's the issue?'

'It's an apparition, Terrador. Similar to the one of… the Mountain of Malefor. He had an instance the night before.'

Cyril and Terrador glanced at each other worriedly, and Cyril quickly frowned, his body tensing up. 'It's only been around a week! You're not telling me we have another calamity on our hands? So quickly? Are you sure of this, Volteer?'

He nodded obliviously. 'Yes.' He paused at the looks of horror on his fellows' faces. 'However! It's not a direct calamity. It was more to do with Cynder and her people, along with the Dark Realms that Spyro saw somehow. This is what I was mulling over repeatedly! What is his link to that place? And Cynder? Are we to tell her that her people have vanished from the world, and may never return? That was the main point Spyro was getting across. The poor drake worries after her.'

After calming down and catching his breath, Cyril frowned sympathetically. 'I suppose that warrants some concern. For Cynder… I believe she should know. She's old enough, and may have already figured out that dark dragons of some sort existed; a long time ago. What are you currently teaching them, Volteer?'

'The anatomy, life cycles and origins of all dragons of each element – that we know of.'

Terrador eyed him with scrutiny. 'Will you include the dragons of light and dark? If I understand Cyril here correctly, you should mention everything we know about both; as limited as it is. Then Cynder will know what she is – or not. She may not attribute herself a shadow dragon, given the influence on her upbringing. Either way, it'll be up to her to decide what to do with the knowledge.'

Volteer bowed his head in agreement, somewhat guiltily. 'I understand – I suppose the truth of the matter will emerge to her eventually.' He paused thoughtfully before he looked up at the two Guardians. 'But what of Spyro? When will he know his position? He is more than just a purple dragon.'

Cyril's eyes fell grimly. 'That knowledge could get him killed if we told him now. No, if he's meant to know – he's resourceful enough to find out on his own. Perhaps more than we... and Ignitus... could find.' He sighed heavily at the mention, with Terrador and Volteer bowing their heads for a moment as well. 'Would that you were still with us, both of you...'

* * *

They quickly sent Volteer off on his way, as he was far better suited to finish his scheduled teaching than scouting out in the wilderness. Of course, that didn't stop him from offering his help; but Cyril was quick to point out his inability to keep silent would be detrimental to a scouting mission. Volteer was unperturbed but left without fuss, quickly shifting his focus onto the day's plans.

The two Guardians were on the verge of searching for the scout themselves, when she finally showed up, surprisingly with Nadina in tow. While the scout looked unharmed, she did seem mildly disturbed.

'Finally! Report, madam,' Cyril responded as they nearly bumped snouts at the door. They looked up at Nadina with surprise, expecting her to still be organising the other wind residents that morning.

'Nadina?' Terrador responded curiously. 'Is all well with the wind refugees?'

She nodded quickly as the scout and Cyril backed into the hall before them, striding alongside each other across the stone floor. 'Yes... it's quite a relief now. Everyone's found a home, and with their hunting skills and knowledge I've no doubt they can take care of themselves now. And they know they can visit me up here whenever they need me.'

Terrador smiled pleasantly. 'I'm glad. I was somewhat worried you would run yourself ragged in due time. But you look healthier than ever.'

'You're too kind.'

They dropped into silence as they took their places among the alcoves, Cyril eyeing them both expectantly. 'Report. By the look on your face, it appears my suspicions are correct.'

The scout shook her head a little. 'It's not what I expected, Cyril, sir. One of their ships went down not long ago, and crash-landed on the eastern outskirts of Viridian forest. It wasn't too badly damaged, so I suspect it was attacked.'

'By what?' Terrador asked.

'My first thought was typical pirate backstabbing – the typical stealing of the crew's hoard by another. But... it's possible they were attacked by other flying creatures – perhaps remnants of Malefor's wyverns. But I did not see anything like that.'

Cyril nodded thankfully before he looked around at the others. 'Thank you. Looks like we should search the remains of the ship, Terrador.' He glanced at Nadina respectfully. 'Nadina, is there a particular reason you've accompanied this dragoness?'

'Yes, Cyril – I'm aware that we'll have to investigate this lead, and I want to help.' She glanced over at her companion worriedly. 'And Ralis here needs to rest – I'd like to take her place with you.'

Terrador glanced between them with concern. 'Having a wind dragon is invaluable, Nadina. We would welcome your help – but we currently have no idea what the pirates are planning.' He glanced at the Ice Guardian flatly. 'Even though Cyril believes they are a real threat to be dealt with, I would prefer to gauge the situation before moving to such rash action.'

Nadina nodded with approval. 'I'm inclined to agree. Even pirates don't need to die if there's a mutually beneficial alternative.'

Cyril shook his head a little. 'I still believe any association with them will be to our detriment.' He sighed heavily as he flexed his wings outwards. 'Regardless, we should get moving. The survivors could have fled into the forest already, and I'd rather interrogate them before they get loose.'

Nadina nodded and sent Ralis off back home, joining the two Guardians as they spread their wings and took off from the stone plateau.

After a few minutes of steady flying, passing over the ramparts and attracting a few concerned eyes from passers-by below, Nadina initiated a line of questioning.

'Tell me something, Cyril. Why the animosity towards these Skavengers? I wouldn't trust them, but you seem inclined to kill them on sight. Am I right?'

Cyril growled with instinctive displeasure. 'Very close, Nadina – I would distrust any Skavenger I come across. I just cannot abide these honourless thieves who only terrorise the other races on the planet. To me, they're a disease. I'm not sure what you and Terrador are trying to prove here.'

Nadina glanced at this tense jaw and angrily set eyes. 'It sounds like they did more than just terrorise people. More like – something you suffered personally.'

Terrador let out a heavy thrum of a amusement. 'Not personally, no. But it was of grave importance to me, and our relationship with the Moles. We had one deal with them in which Cyril's vanity was the main enemy – rather than the actual backstabbing dealers.'

Cyril groaned to himself indignantly. 'I won't go bellowing my failures for the world to hear, Terrador.'

'I see no reason to keep it from her.' Terrador regarded him with amusement. 'Shall I tell her, or you?'

Cyril paused thoughtfully and bowed his head submissively. 'Oh, very well. I suppose you both could learn something about letting honeyed words get to your head.'

Nadina returned her gaze ahead, making sure their path was clear through the gap in the Blowback Pass. Her blue frills just below her horns were stiff despite the breeze, signalling that she was keeping her eardrums opened for Cyril.

'Well, it was during the war, obviously. We had villages of moles and sometimes dragons in need of fast evacuations when our scouts spotted the horde of grublins moving in a certain area. We couldn't commit all our forces to protecting them as they fled. I... we were willing to do whatever it took to save as many civilians as possible – so we turned to a renegade ship to hire them for a job: to transport the residents of Tower Dam to Warfang; or if they were non-combatants, underground.'

Nadina glanced at him worriedly. 'They didn't – leave them to die, did they?'

'No,' Cyril responded coldly. 'But sometimes I wonder if that would have been a kinder fate. Not only did they pick everyone up, they picked up virtually everything else they could get their hands on. They kicked those poor moles off their ship upon arriving, with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They left so fast amidst the confusion that we could not catch them.'

Nadina sighed shortly. 'Thank goodness...'

When Cyril raised a brow in shocked confusion, Terrador cleared his throat. 'Nadina, you must realise that the moles' lives are far more – possessive than ours. We have little need of money or tools, but the mole's livelihoods depend on them. Because of what that crew did, most of those mole's lives were very hard compared to most; even without factoring in the war. Those Skavengers made an enemy of the moles that day.'

Cyril nodded in firm agreement. 'And as their sworn allies, we would be wise to never deal with the Skavengers again.'

Nadina paused thoughtfully before she voiced her thoughts. 'Then, Cyril – if you were given the choice, would you make that deal again? Or let those civilians die?'

Cyril became silent as he took her meaning, and after a few moments of thought he gazed away tiredly, losing himself in the landscape below. _Has the war changed me so? I have little idea of what I would do now... I hope I never have to._

* * *

For Spyro and the other students, today felt much more comfortable; even Solaris was being less outspoken than usual. It was like she'd said everything she ever wanted to yesterday, and Spyro, Cynder and Alaia quickly became relaxed during their lesson even with her presence.

They were moving on to Ice dragons today, with Volteer going over a list of traits with a strangely smug smile on his face.

'The eggs of Ice dragons stay dormant for far longer than any other subspecies – primarily because they have no natural means of raising their nest's temperature. And it does not help that most are too proud to ask another dragon for help. So... they do tend to have greater gaps between generations of eggs, perhaps compounded in the days when we followed the Year of the Dragon. Hmm...' The electricity Guardian glanced away thoughtfully. 'It just occurred to me that we may need to rectify that tradition. With so few dragons in any one place, we may have to abandon the practice for our race's sake. Ah... but Cyril will complain.'

'Year of the Dragon?' Solaris asked stiffly. 'I have no clue what this tradition is. Care to elaborate?'

'Certainly,' Volteer answered her quickly, having adapted to her immediate corrections and instinctively avoiding tangents. 'The Year of the Dragon was a safeguard as our resources throughout the land began to run thin, especially around large cities of dragons such as Warfang. It became far more efficient to keep many eggs together and sharing the appropriate warmth in a large nest than having their families look after their own individual eggs in their homes around the region. It wouldn't be a problem for them to find their hatchlings or eggs around the time of hatching, as most can recognise traits instilled in their own children – such as eye colour and crest shape. However the more reliable method, proven again and again, is the magical connection between parents and offspring. If a newborn and a parent are within even a mile, they will be able to find each other in due time.' He eyed Solaris curiously, bewildered as to the idea of a different reproductive tradition in place. 'Do Magma dragons not have a Year of the Dragon?'

Solaris shook her head. 'We have no need to ration heat for eggs, given our environment. As far as I know, we are free to hatch eggs whenever and wherever we wish – but only certain dragons are allowed to breed at all.'

Alaia looked rather shocked at this, while Volteer simply mused attentively. 'Fascinating. But I am guessing that's the extent to which you know your own breeding patterns?'

'Well... yes,' She responded with surprise. 'I won't know the details until I come of age.'

Spyro noticed that she recoiled and shrunk away from them as she said that, along with hiding her expression.

After examining Solaris for a few seconds, Volteer quickly caught himself as he pictured her snapping at him again. 'Well! Time we return to the Ice dragons. Perhaps we should move on to their patron animal precursor – Levyr.'

Spyro couldn't help but grimace with amusement. 'I have a feeling it's something like the Leviathans?'

'Correct!' Volteer smiled. 'She is possibly one of the oldest Leviathans – but unfortunately, most facts about the legend are still based on conjecture. What is quite humorous about it all is that no Ice dragon would admit any part of it is true – as the legend is a source of great shame or perhaps a contradiction to their people's accepted origins.'

'Why would that be?' Cynder asked, just as much to herself as to everyone else. 'I don't... I haven't seen a Leviathan before, so... I don't know. What are they like?'

Spyro cleared his throat. 'Ahem... well, one did rescue me in the ocean and get me to the Chronicler's temple. I didn't get to see much of it, though, only a glimpse as it left me there.'

'I've met some,' Alaia spoke up fondly, adopting a soft smile. 'My parents and I found a small pod of baby ones hanging around in an estuarine lake; next door to one of the hideouts during the war. They were... really cute.' Solaris groaned and scoffed to herself, but she didn't notice. 'And so friendly! We spent a few hours with them, and I even swam with them for a while. But they had to leave when one of their parents came for them – and we had to leave the area when it got dark; I wanted to see some more.'

Cynder gazed at her blankly. 'So... they're helpful and friendly animals, I guess. But those are the last things I think of when Cyril comes to mind.'

'Exactly!' Volteer snorted. 'Ah, if Cyril were here right now, he'd be in complete shambles and speechless at the association! One of my favourite pastimes, actually, reminding him of Levyr.'

Cynder and Alaia glanced at each other cheekily. 'So the uptight and arrogant Ice dragons were given their powers by a friendly and playful animal...' Cynder said simply. 'Humbling.'

'Indeed.' Volteer wore a childish grin. 'I can only imagine his reaction if he were here. "Please, Volteer, you're ridiculous extrapolation is nothing more than pointless theory. I assure you, we Ice dragons would never be bested by a silly animal like this... Levyr."' He imitated an uncomfortable gulp to great comedic effect, earning chuckles from Spyro and Cynder, though Alaia and Solaris were wary of insulting a leader they hadn't even met yet. '"Uh... yes. Just forget you ever heard the name Levyr. Yes. Such a laughable notion... yes." Well, that would be more satisfying if Cyril were here, but no doubt Terrador would disapprove.'

Solaris frowned with a little annoyance. 'What exactly did this Levyr do? There aren't many sources of genuine embarrassment for dragons on something apparently based on theory.'

'Even a theory can be widely accepted, and over the centuries, this one is the most prevalent, especially since the Ice dragons couldn't properly refute its merit. To summarise, Levyr encountered water-adapted precursor dragons and – if I'm interpreting correctly – drew them in and led them on a merry chase through a series of underwater caverns, icebergs and rip currents... to the point where the dragons had to manipulate the excessive moisture to get away from her. The context of these dragons getting fed up with her games and brushing her off would help explain how Cyril is so uptight sometimes. As for his arrogance, pomposity, pretentiousness... well, Ice dragons are generally very skilled in battle and able to gauge other's motivations rather well. Some have even harnessed their power to the point where they can kill some opponents with precision strikes to vital areas – which was especially useful against the Apes. They did save many lives and made quite a difference in...' He glanced at Cynder regretfully. '...well, they are valuable, I'll say that much.'

Spyro quickly attempted to divert the class's attention from Cynder's guilty expression. 'Volteer? I can use ice, but I could never do what you're talking about. My ice spikes always travel too slowly to – uh, stab enemies with. Would I be able to learn how to do that soon?'

'Well – yes and no,' Volteer answered. 'The ice element can be quite lethal, but requires raw power that even you don't possess as of yet. I did notice that you and Cynder refrained from attacking outside Warfang's walls when Alaia's group arrived. Shrewd of you both, I must say. Cyril will instruct you further once you've progressed onto elemental training; after you've trained with Terrador appropriately.'

Spyro frowned a little, briefly feeling disappointed at how long it would take to learn such a useful skill. He quickly snapped out of it at the thought of ending his education with Volteer so early.

After a slight pause, Volteer gazed down at him curiously. 'Whatever is the matter, Spyro? An end to one lesson is nothing to brood over.'

'It's not that,' Spyro said simply. 'But this is the last lesson for the week, right? It kind of feels – well, a bit sad.'

Volteer chuckled heartily to himself. 'If my impressions are correct, it's rare for young students to feel sad at the weekend's outlet.'

'Weekend?'

Both Alaia and Volteer were taken aback by Spyro and Cynder's questioning reaction. Solaris remained silent, but seemed curious as well.

'Well, yes,' Alaia began. 'That's what it's called when you finish lessons for the week.'

'Aw...'

Volteer yawned widely before eyeing his pile of documents. 'Well, I must be getting on planning our lessons for next week. I may have to revise my own knowledge of Earth and Electric dragons – as bewildering as it is, my knowledge of my own people has always been a sore point of mine. No memories, no hard evidence – argh! If Cyril finds out, I'll never hear the end of it...'

Raising his head to their questioning gazes, he smiled. 'Never mind me, young ones. Off you go! Until next week – four days from now. Unfortunately, in some cases.'

Spyro groaned softly as Alaia filed out downstairs eagerly. Cynder was about to follow before she doubled back to the hesitant Spyro, still walking along rather morbidly. Solaris took a moment longer to look around before following Alaia's path downstairs.

'Spyro, what's wrong with you? I know you like learning from Volteer, but... there's Warfang out there!'

Spyro blinked curiously, before he managed a smile. 'Oh yeah. I did have plans to explore it a bit more...' He stopped and tapped his head. 'It just feels like I've put so much information into my head that I need to let it out – and I like making Volteer smile.'

Cynder eyed him flatly. 'He's always smiling. In the classroom, anyway.'

'Well... yeah.'

They picked up the pace as they sped downstairs together. 'So where did you want to go first?' Cynder asked.

'That's a good question.' As they reached a fire balcony, they spotted Alaia gliding down towards the districts. He guessed she was going home. He craned his neck upwards and smiled cheekily.

'Hey, why don't we try up there?'

It took Cynder a moment to take his meaning. 'Are we even allowed up there?'

'Why not?'

Cynder grinned back at him. 'How about we race? First to the top of this tower?'

Spyro barely opened his mouth before she flung herself over the edge, slipping out of sight by the time Spyro had perched on the edge. He hesitated to follow in the same manner; he didn't have Cynder's agility, so he watched her swoop out of a dive and start her ascent before he thrust his body upwards after her.

The pair circled around the tower; Cynder staying ahead enough for Spyro to follow her. They couldn't help but notice a few things through the gaping windows; stacks of scrolls and odd metal contraptions were but a few objects contained within the sunset-coloured walls.

When Cynder passed within view of the roof, she was met with a shallow dome of dark tiles with a metal post rising from its centre. She hovered for a second, before Spyro's flapping spurned her forward to wrap her body briefly around the post, sitting herself down to beam up at Spyro smugly.

'Looks I win this time.'

Spyro rolled his eyes a little as he landed in front of her. 'I wasn't really trying. You gave yourself a clear advantage there.' He smirked lightly. 'Next time, can we iron out the terms first?'

'Sure. Whatever makes you happy.' She snorted with amusement to herself. 'No need to be so formal, Spyro.'

They both faced the city spread below them, and it was a strange sight. It only just occurred to them how tall the towers were; they had literally reached the highest point in the city. Even the observation deck on the next tower was several levels below them.

Cynder observed the sight in awe. 'You know... I think... we could get to almost anywhere from here.' She glanced around, looking for any new points of interest. Apart from the obvious residential district, ruined temple where she worked, and the distinct blue bath-houses, there weren't any unique buildings below them. Only the Grand Hall and Council Chambers stood near their height off in the distance. Her eyes were drawn to the landscape beyond them; a small collection of rocky mountains and scattered forest that hid the view beyond them.

'I wonder what's over those mountains?'

Feeling a little bold, Spyro stepped towards the roof's edge. 'Why don't we fly there and find out?'

Cynder ran her eyes over him for a moment, a longing look on her face. 'I don't know... I wouldn't mind staying here a little longer.'

As Spyro read her expression, he felt his own heat up. 'That sounds... pretty good to me.'

Cynder came to his side and sat, enjoying the warmth of the dark tiles. As Spyro joined her, he lowered his head and nudged her cheek gently, tickling her with his crest fringes.

After a few moments of silence, Spyro cleared his throat. 'If we actually go up there, should we get Sparx to come with us?'

'Probably not,' she answered shortly. 'He'd hate to go up so high. And we wouldn't be able to do... well, this, without him complaining.'

'Yeah...'

And so they sat there, enjoying each other's company, along with the refreshing breeze after being in the classroom all morning.

* * *

With Nadina taking the lead to spot the wreckage, it didn't take long for the trio of dragons to find the column of smoke being blown in their direction from the sea's breeze. They fell silent as the ruined mast appeared through the overhead canopy, circling down towards a large clearing with the ship's hull in view through the scattered trees. They immediately pressed their bodies to the ground and listened for the scurry of Skavenger feet, but heard only the sounds of the forest nearby.

'It sounds like they're all gone,' Cyril muttered. 'Perhaps this will be simple after all.'

'Or not,' Terrador interjected. 'They may have escaped with their hoard. I don't fancy chasing them through the forest.'

They stiffened as a breeze swept past them, bringing the scent of wood, lamps and burnt flesh. It sent a shiver down Nadina's spine, though Cyril and Terrador were regretfully familiar with it. However, Cyril narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

'There's the scent of Skavengers. Such a filthy smell.' He couldn't help but sigh coldly. 'Let's get this over with.'

The Ice dragon crept over the vegetation, taking care not to break any branches but swift enough to keep ahead of the others. Nadina briefly wondered if he would kill any survivors on sight – but quickly decided he wouldn't be that prejudiced as to compromise their mission.

'Cyril, be careful,' She warned him, but also projected her concern to Terrador. 'They might be waiting in ambush for us.'

Cyril only stiffened in response for them to catch up, but Terrador nodded to her. 'Watch your back too, Nadina.'

The ship was larger than they expected; at least three levels that could fit an adult dragon. Terrador knew that some Skavenger commanders could grow very large – large enough to make all internal halls and cells tall and wide enough for dragons as well. He'd even heard rumours years ago that dragons were a favourite captive of Skavengers for their barbaric arena battles – but he doubted that any adult dragon would stay captured so easily.

The enormous bow-shaped wreckage was embedded deep in the ground, having thrown mounds of dirt on either side with several felled trees in eyesight. Its distinct grey stripes on the maroon hulls signalled the Skavenger's banner. Thankfully, there were no external fires they could see; having Cyril would mean a fire would be brought under control as soon as they secured the site.

The Ice dragon surveyed the scene, looking for a way in without alerting the survivors within. Terrador eyed the central hull and raised claw to test its thickness.

'I could easily blast in this way, Cyril.'

He was met with a quick shake of the head. 'No, Terrador. Any blast of yours could be heard within a league. We should make our way to the deck and work downwards.'

Terrador grunted with slight annoyance before grudgingly following Cyril and Nadina. The three tried to keep their wing flaps as shallow as possible, but luckily there was no response from the ship by the time they reached the surface deck.

As the three landed, it became clear that they had been attacked by... something. However, the large holes torn through the hull indicates that wyverns alone couldn't have done this sort of damage. Strangely enough, the ship was quite intact given the level of damage it had already taken.

Cyril furrowed his brow as they crept towards the largest hole towards the port side.

_Wyverns don't have the raw power or size to tear holes through a pirate ship. Maybe with a concentrated blast of dark magic... hmm..._

'What happened here?' Nadina asked herself softly.

'You have no idea?' Terrador asked hopefully. 'Our only suspects are wyverns – or other dragons, maybe. But I don't know of any dragons who'd attack Skavengers – even for their hoard.'

Cyril let his shoulders visibly slump at the prospect. 'So this may be worse than wyverns or Skavengers – a possible renegade dragon? The list grows more troublesome as we go along.'

'Don't jump to conclusions, Cyril,' Nadina said. 'If we find survivors, they could describe their assailant.'

'... Right.'

Terrador couldn't help but share Cyril's concern. The state of the world was fragile enough without another dragon like Malefor to wreak further havoc. He inwardly prayed this wasn't the case, but otherwise didn't betray the dread in his stomach as he plodded behind his companions.

* * *

Nadina poked her head down into the hole first before she slipped deftly down two levels below. Cyril and Terrador quickly followed, and the three found themselves staring down a slightly curved hallway in which they only just fit single file. The walls were lined with metal gates and lines of cells. They checked all of them as they went; most were empty, or with piles of hay inside. However, many contained crystal fragments as if a large counterpart had been shattered inside – and every single one of these had their metal gates torn off. In some of these cells, they found an odd pile of pirate clothes – a tunic, sword and hat, stacked as if something wearing them had just... disappeared.

'It seems whatever attacked them did it to get to the crystals.' Terrador mused. 'But why?'

Once they'd passed around a dozen cells, they came to a central crossroad area with which large steps to the right led to a larger room. To the left, there was a smaller room with several wooden chests, along with a small stack of scattered scrolls and maps. The three glanced around in several directions.

'We should split up briefly.' Terrador stepped towards the right room. 'Nadina, you can examine the map room and see if there's any logs of what happened here. Cyril, check down the hall in case there's any captives, and get them out if you can.'

They both responded with quick nods and went their separate ways.

Terrador crept carefully into the large room; it looked like a primary warehouse, as it was full of treasure chests that were, like much of the ship, untouched. He felt inwardly relieved; a dragon was unlikely to attack a ship without taking a significant amount of treasure. Even though he wasn't bothered with having possessions or not, this much treasure would tempt anyone to take some. He'd half a mind to take some back himself; the moles especially could find a use for the money better than he could. It would be a good opportunity for the moles to reclaim the supplies from the ship so long as the current survivors could be accounted for.

After sifting through the treasure chests and finding little of interest, he raised his head to examine the rafters above. His eyes were instantly drawn to a pair of limbs hanging over the side. Carefully hovering upwards, he found a small Skavenger's corpse splayed on the small wooden extension. He grabbed it carefully and brought back down to the floor.

The Skavenger didn't have any major injuries; no torn limbs or gaping holes in his flesh. However, there were a pair of large puncture wounds in his back. The look of his skin and face unnerved Terrador to a degree. Though he didn't clearly remember their appearance from his last encounter, many years ago, his skin looked far paler than it should have been, and his eyes were still open as if he were killed while screaming.

The Earth Guardian bowed his head solemnly. Even if this creature were a back-stabbing scoundrel, he couldn't help but feel mortified as to them being killed in such a manner. He reached forward with two digits and closed the Skavenger's eyelids.

* * *

Nadina sifted her head through the scrolls carefully, as her whole body couldn't fit inside without scattering the parchment further. It was a rather frustrating exercise as the Skavenger's scrawls were barely legible, and even when they were they didn't make a whole lot of sense. From what she'd seen so far, Cyril had a point about them; any dealings between dragons and Skavengers would deteriorate fast. A cold dragon like Cyril would likely not have the patience to put up with their sometimes foul language.

However, this made it easy to single out the more valuable writings. Several pages stacked on top of each other in a relatively neat fashion quickly caught her attention, and true enough it made more sense than all the others. Some Skavengers had to be intelligent enough to lead the rabble, after all.

She brought it within eyesight with an overturned knuckle, and began reading.

_Commander Wort Logs – entry wun_

_...Blub wouldn share his rum again. Blah! Thad little scallywag's lucky he got rich folks back home. I been tryin to be his best friend so as to share in his booty, maybe get in a good word with a wee lass - but the puny lad be forgettin me favours! EVERY SINGLE TIME! Even the stray gems and coins I be leavin for him. This grates on me nerves, it does. Snotty insists the fleet keeps its crews in check and alive, but this only makes me reachin for the rum more wantin. Blasted reports and those parrots flying around, demandin our progress._

_We pirates not used to the way of rules. This Snotty has been defyin old Skabb's legacy, he is. He loves arr treasure much as the next man, but he be so weak. Why Scratch chose him over me be anyone's guess._

_..._

_Arr, the little imps be messing with them casks. I be understandin the desire, but we ain't stocked up in weeks. That Snotty won't pull the fleet out of the current course._

Nadina couldn't help but smirk at the names mentioned. Wort? Blub? Snotty? What kind of names were those? She regretted her lack of experience with them somewhat; thoughts of a distant homeland to these creatures aroused a slight sense of sympathy for them. She couldn't help but wonder how they'd been affected by the war as well. She focused her eyes on the floor again and flipped to the next page.

_Commander Wort – entry too_

_Snotty wont get off me back! He be accusin me of sowing somethin called 'dis-sen-shun' among me crew! Thats cause of he laying down the claw, not me ramblins! And in front of the whole crew! I wouldn have any of it. He be sayin he be THE captain? I say he proves it! Tonight we be duellin in the ol' Fellmuth Arena. Should be in well enough shape, even after those thievin Apes stole our dragons. After this, I say we chart the course back to those deserted villages along the north coast. May even settle therr once we've stocked from a stop home. And Snotty can join the dirt where he belongs, the little grove mite._

_..._

_Cant believe it. The little scallwag be tougher than he looks. Much, much more. He very near ran me through – had the chance. Cut me wrist deep, disarmin me so quickly – the way he scurried, it was like fighting one of those blasted parrots! He coulda shamed me and stripped me of me rank, but just ordered me back to work. Said I was good at that, even if I be not that bright._

_Cant help but respect the bugger. Maybe Scratch be right to choose him after all. Might even start believin his imaginary friends who be followin us through the sky._

Several questions ran through Nadina's head, mostly about the "imaginary friends" this Wort was referring to. She read on; the third page had a spot of blood down the bottom as if the page had been dipped a little in it.

_Commander Wort – entry tree_

_Snotty came for a visit tis evenin. Asked after my wrist. I be startin to wonder if he soft. And how a softie came to be captain._

_I asked why we be going around the sky so long. He told me... somethin was followin us... that we couldn't go home until they were destroyed. _

_Sounds fishy to me. Why did I never see these things? What be stranger is me crew believe him. Some be tellin they saw the things too. Like electric eels, but bein dark in the head and blindin in the tail. What manner of critter this be?_

_If this many be seein them, then I be believin Snotty too. He be wantin to catch the thing in an ambush and blast it before it takes any of the crew._

_Be strange that followin the mite even makes sense now. But I wont take no chances with no eel ghost. We have enough ghosts of arr own to deal with in the treasure holds._

Nadina frowned. Eel ghosts? Is that what did this? That wasn't much to go on.

She couldn't help but feel unnerved at the blood at the bottom. Why was there no body in here? She told herself that they'd fled the wreck of the ship, but it was possible that the... eel ghosts had devoured the crew entirely. And they may still be aboard.

Alarm flashing up her throat, she pulled her head out of the paper piles and turned back with a minute gust that scattered the paper.

* * *

Cyril nosed his way through the remaining cells, trying to sniff out any traces of the Skavengers' scent or further clues as to what happened here. So far, he'd met more of the same; shattered crystals and little evidence of occupation. He did find distinct marks in the wall which exhibited the use of cannon blasts and gunpowder. These were signs of battle; but were very small and sparse, indicating the Skavengers didn't have enough time to unload much shrapnel. They hadn't put up much of a fight.

He bristled with anger at the thought of slaves becoming victims alongside the pirates, but after a while his hostility was unfounded, as it seemed the pirates hadn't had slaves for years. Why this was, he didn't care to know.

At the end of the cells, he found more torn wood, leaving behind a gaping hole leading down to the ship's lowest decks. Loose dirt seeped in through its cracks, and further tears let in dim sunlight. The hole was again big enough for him to fit through, and he debated investigating further without the others.

He raised his head out of the hole as he felt a rush of wind down the hall, and spotted the end of Nadina's tail flowing towards the cargo room. Given her haste, he dropped his own examination to make his way back. He tracked her to the large cargo room, finding his footing in the room where Terrador was examining something on the ground.

'Nadina! What did you find?'

She whipped her head to him, alarm plain on her face. 'Cyril, I found notes – hinting at what caused all this. Terrador, what – '

Their eyes were drawn to the corpse on the floor, and Terrador's solemn state.

'I found this one. He had a name engraved on his hat – Blub.'

Nadina bowed her head in a similar morbid manner. 'Blub? He was mentioned by the Commander of this ship. The way he lies here... even in death, is unnatural.'

Cyril scrounged his face with slight disgust at the sight. 'Good riddance, I say.' He ignored their piercing glances. 'What did you find Nadina? Quickly!'

'The logs... they mentioned "eel ghosts" – and while that may sound strange, their captain saw them as a threat – enough for them to stay stranded out here. I'm not sure why or how, though.' She glanced at Terrador grimly. 'We should leave.'

The two Guardians bowed their heads thoughtfully, musing over the term.

'Eel ghost...' Terrador grunted heavily. 'I've never heard of such a thing.'

Cyril nodded toward him in agreement. 'Indeed. Normally I'd dismiss it as a wild pirate myth... but something had to tear this ship asunder.'

Nadina frowned between them in alarm. 'Don't either of you understand!? We have to go – whatever it is, it could still be in the ship.'

Cyril shook his head slowly without changing his tense expression. 'No. We can't leave here empty-handed because of some paranoid pirate's final words. We need to search the entire ship and find out more.'

Terrador raised his head toward her apologetically. 'He's right. This ghost may be a threat to Warfang, and we need to find out as much as we can.' He flexed his wings and drew them in proudly. 'Besides, the three of us should fare well against it, even if pirates were helpless.'

Nadina silently shook her head, but followed them as Cyril led the way back down the hall he came from. She could feel something was... wrong, even as they crept along the silent planks. Her body was screaming at her to run, through some unknown presence, but she fought it down, as she couldn't bring herself to abandon Cyril or Terrador; even with them being overly headstrong.

However, after gliding down through the hole, and creeping over the scaffolding of the ship's lower reaches, the apprehension climbed to a point where she had to say something.

'Something's wrong here...' She whispered. 'I can't help but feel like running.'

'That's unsurprising, Nadina.' Terrador turned his head over his shoulder. 'Cyril and I have had more experience with dark magic over the years... it affected us the same way when we first found dark crystals.'

Nadina forced herself to remain calm. 'Dark crystals... what should we do if we find any?'

Cyril's reply came sharply. 'Destroy them. But if we encounter foes... stay away until they're dealt with. The crystal can sap your energy quickly.'

The small gaps of light were enough to light their way, but concealed their surroundings to the point where Cyril stopped several times to edge around a wooden block or stack of large crates. Thankfully, the light never left them entirely, as there was still sunlight outside.

After a few minutes of crawling through the ship's depths, Nadina became aware of a faint hissing noise echoing up towards them. As they moved, it became louder and accompanied by whispers from hollow voices. The feeling of dread only crept up her spine as they went, to the point where she was almost trembling. Cyril was more tense than usual, his walking becoming irregular as if he was having trouble focusing. Terrador grinded his teeth slightly as they went, but maintained his pace.

Terrador was the first to stop; when the hissing was the loudest to the point where they could make out some words.

_Energy... sap... magic...respite..._

'It's near,' Cyril growled. 'Be ready.'

Nadina attempted to sniff out any enemies nearby, but the constant whispering made it difficult to focus her senses.

They crept around a large fallen pile of wood from what looked like a staircase, and came upon a wide storage area still intact. And at the end, was the crystal.

The air around it was visibly being pulled in, distorting the area around it in some sort of bubble. The translucent, purple stone might have seemed beautiful if it weren't for the dreaded pit in Nadina's stomach.

Terrador strode forward, but Cyril stopped him with a sharp huff. 'Hold, Terrador - any closer and you'll lose energy. I dare say we should destroy it without getting close, if possible.' His eyes darted around for a few moments for a large object to use, when they all froze at the floor above them creaking... along with the shuffling of feet.

Terrador shook his head gruffly. 'Cyril, there's no time. If we remain at even this distance for too long, we won't be fit to face this unknown enemy.'

With Cyril standing resignated, Terrador strode forward.

'Be careful, Terrador...' Nadina whispered, her and Cyril keeping wary eyes about for an ambush.

Terrador nodded once, and struck the massive crystal. Nadina flinched at the noise it made in response; like a hiss of wind, but with a dark voice to it.

The crystal continued hissing as Terrador struck it again and again, chips off of it flying in every direction, but with Terrador's strength it quickly fell apart, leaving nothing but a pit of dead earth where it grew out of. And with that, the whispering stopped. Terrador's wings drooped instinctively as he felt the loss of energy from his proximity, as brief as it was.

Cyril exhaled with a light misty breath. 'Good. Other dragons will no longer have their energy sapped. Now let's–'

They all swayed as an eerie cry echoed in the holds above them, which were quickly followed by canine yowls. A single, broad-edged cutlass ran through the ceiling, easily cutting through the damaged wood despite its thickness. As the three dragons awaited their foes, Cyril growled warningly.

'I suspect many large ones, given that sword's size... try and keep at least one alive!'

Sure enough, three massive canine figures dropped through the now large hole. The Skavengers stared at them briefly with a crazed look in their eyes and tongues lolling. Without a word, they charged, converging on Terrador.

Cyril launched a glacial spike at one's neck, but his twitchy movements and makeshift armour caused his ice to shatter on impact. Drawing his attention, the Skavenger Commander yowled and charged Cyril with his weapon raised above his head.

Nadina quickly separated one with a blast at his feet, leaving him on the ground for a moment while Terrador swatted aside his opponent's weapon with his tail club.

'Wait! We only want to talk!'

Her protest rang unnoticed as her opponent quickly got up and charged her without any change in his eyes. She narrowly avoided his cutlass before it ran through the wood below.

'It's no use, Nadina!' Terrador growled amidst parrying blows. 'They are crazed beyond reason. You keep that one alive!'

Nadina nodded; the implication being that Terrador and Cyril would not.

Cyril unleashed a wave of frost to slow his opponent down, but with his frenzied movements it didn't last long. The Commander swung, and he ducked below in time to clamp down on his wrist. The Commander smashed his face in an attempt to dislodge him, but Cyril let go before the claws reached his eyes. The Commander swung again, but immediately yowled, clutching his frozen wrist and dropping his weapon with a clang. Taking advantage of the opening, Cyril leapt forward and shot multitudes of razor-sharp icicles into his neck; his opponent falling and twitching for a few moments before dying.

Terrador dodged his opponent's swipes until he was left with a clear opening; ramming his head into the Commander's chest with full force. There was a crack in his chest plate before he was flung into the far wall. Terrador tensed in preparation as the Skavenger rose up and charged with an enraged yowl, before twisting his tail with momentum into his opponent's face, snapping his neck and killing him instantly.

Nadina was having no problem keeping the last one at bay; her swift movements and gusts prevented him from landing any attacks. She'd already disarmed him by the time the three dragons cornered him. Despite the situation, he continued attacking them in a frenzy, despite their retaliations sending him reeling backward.

Cyril eyed him with disdain. His eyes were still had the same manic edge from the beginning; unwavering in the face of the deaths of his companions.

'How are we supposed to get information out of this wreck? This is foolhardy.'

He charged the Commander one final time, and whilst trying to keep him alive, Terrador and Nadina circled around to lend assistance if it was necessary. They knew that if he would not recover from his mental state, he would have to die to secure the area from further damage from a possible rampage.

Terrador furrowed his scaly brow as his tail brushed pointy wood yet again within the cramped space the four had. _Time to take this outside._

'Cyril! After me!'

Terrador dashed and send a faint Earth pulse through the wood, and quickly found its weakest point. He gathered the remains of his energy and blasted a large hole with an Earth shot before leaping through, Nadina and Cyril close behind.

The Commander dashed after them, still trapped in his frenzy. Nadina, in one last attempt, blew him backwards for a moment before roaring out firmly.

'Enough! Can you not snap out of it? We need you alive, so drop that sword and – '

She dropped her head as he charged past her slipping around him. Terrador sighed heavily.

'We have no choice, Nadina. I hope you understand.'

With that, Cyril and Terrador converged to tear into their victim with their claws. Nadina could only look away, not wanting to see again what she witnessed at Warfang's gates.

Then she felt a dark whisper, just like the dark crystal that had been destroyed moments before. But this time, it was moving. Was there another crystal in there?

She was answered by an audible hiss that made Terrador momentarily freeze. Then a long, slimy figure flew out from the top of the captain's cabin from on top of the ship. Through the trees, they couldn't make it out properly.

'Nad–'

She was gone before Cyril could finish.

Flying away from Terrador and Cyril, she quickly saw that they couldn't keep up with the creature. It flowed through the air as if it was swimming in water – not even wind dragons were capable of such speed.

She pushed her wings to their limit, as its full speed would mean it would escape. She let out swirling currents from her nostrils which split over and under wings, giving her flaps more power. Within a few seconds of acceleration, she was on its tail, the rest of the landscape becoming a near-blur.

It was obvious that this is what the Skavengers called the "Eel-ghost". It had no arms to speak of; just flimsy appendages coming off its neck and furry, jet-black frill. Its tail was glowing a pearly white; she wondered if it would shock if her if she touched it.

She battered it from the side with short gusts in an attempt to slow it down; but it just twisted its body in response, shaping its wave-body motion in perfect synchrony with her gusts. After nearly a minute of this, it was beginning to gain speed and pulled gradually ahead of her. She began to pant heavily; she couldn't keep this up.

Then, without warning, the eel-ghost whipped its body around to face her with its head to let out an eardrum-piercing screech. It pierced her head so much that she slowed down to a near crawl through the air; it was all she could do to avoid falling, especially from such a great height.

When she was able to open her eyes, the creature's face was right in front of her. Its head was no bigger than hers, but the enlarged frill caught her off guard, its gaping maw with nothing inside but purple light. Its white eyes and jet-blue face forced her to squint at it as it continued its horrible cacophony. Then, when she slowed enough, it ceased its cry momentarily to bite forward, catching her neck as she tried to avoid it.

With a different pain suddenly gripping her, she quickly wrenched her two wings forward in a pincer motion, immediately raking its face with her claws as it reeled backwards. They quickly separated, and Nadina prepared for another attack, either audible or physical, but instead, the eel-ghost turned and sped off. She lurched forward in an attempt to follow, but when she tried to project currents again, they failed her. Confused, she tried again and again, but she was unable to produce any wind whatsoever. She looked up desperately, only to see the eel-ghost a mere wisp in the distance, almost like a flake of cloud.

Hanging her head a little, she began to glide back towards Terrador and Cyril by the ruined ship.

* * *

Sure enough, the Skavenger she'd left was little more than a messy corpse by the time she returned. She refrained from glaring at either of her fellow dragons; she knew the damage an insane Skavenger could have done to the forest around them.

'Well?' Cyril called to her expectantly. 'What happened? By the look on your face, I would say it's bad news?'

She nodded her head. 'It... it got away.'

Cyril couldn't hide his disappointment. 'Then we came up empty. We still don't know whether that creature was responsible for destroying this ship or not. Did you manage to see it, at least?'

Terrador narrowed his eyes at his tone, but Nadina spoke without hesitation. 'From what I saw... no, I don't think it could have destroyed the ship. It attacked me with sound, and it wasn't physically adept in the slightest. It didn't even have arms or legs.'

Terrador raised his brow in surprise. 'That sounds familiar. Such creatures remind me of those wyverns – or rather, degenerates. They had arms that were no use.'

Cyril gave a single nod. 'Very well,' he said. 'Nadina, relay your information to Volteer when we get back. I'll discuss the possible scenarios surrounding this incident – as air-headed as he is, we will need his imagination to find the truth of what happened here.'

She gazed at the ground worriedly. 'I... also can't use my wind element any more. Not since it bit me.'

Terrador's eyes widened in shock, as did Cyril's stare. 'Is it permanent?'

'I... I don't know.' She tried to sound hopeful under Terrador's gaze. 'It was only for a second, so I'm praying that's not the case...'

Cyril was silent for a moment, before he spread his wings and flew off. Nadina was about to follow when Terrador gently tapped her with his wing.

'Warn me the next time you're about to do that.'

She managed to crack a smile at his concerned tone. 'Do what?'

'Rush off alone against an unknown enemy.' His serious expression didn't fade. 'You might have lost your powers doing so. However... I still sense the power of wind inside you. So you are likely right about it wearing off.' He lowered his head heavily before eyeing her worriedly. 'Think twice next time. In war, like I've learned, you do not often get second chances.'

She nodded respectfully, before the two took off back towards Warfang together, the eel-ghost's whispers still ringing in Nadina's shaken head.


	9. Tracking of Scavengers

Chapter 8

Tracking of Scavengers

* * *

The next couple of days were some of the best Spyro, Cynder and Sparx ever had. After they had taken a break from their studies, Cynder quickly whisked Spyro away for another hunting trip. He wasn't too enthusiastic at first, nor was Sparx, but inwardly he knew he needed improvement. Sparx ended up helping them navigate the forest floor, as Cynder was intent on finding skinks living under logs and rocks. She helped him through it by giving him pointers on how to move low across the ground without disturbing the leaves. While he couldn't keep completely silent, he improved enough that they'd caught a few skinks by lunchtime. Cynder was quite pleased when Spyro cooked them to almost the same quality as the ones she'd had before at the construction site.

After returning to Warfang, they stayed around the marketplace and met a few more merchants. Kodar still sold fried fish, and pointed them around notable merchants. They soon learned about the currency both moles and dragons would be using once the economy had recovered. Gems and polished metal coins were used, with an emergency stockpile sealed during the war kept in the stone vaults under Warfang. The order of gems in terms of coin equivalents were rubies, emeralds, sapphires, topazes and amethysts, the numerical values being 1, 2, 5, 10 and 25 coins respectively. Spyro couldn't help but ask why rubies and emeralds were worth so little; Kodar only gave them the answer of supply and demand. Where the moles ever found so many rubies and emeralds, Spyro wouldn't know any time soon.

That afternoon, Spyro took a brief visit to the Towers again, somewhat to Sparx's chagrin. Cynder took Sparx back to Warfang to let him be alone for a while to look around. To his surprise, some of the other dragons from Warfang were browsing through the books as well; some were even filling the shelves with new ones. After they left, he eagerly pulled one out. He stared at the title: "Heroes of the Storm". Browsing the first few pages, he saw it was a detailed account of many notable Electric Dragons – or Storm Dragons as referred by the book itself – with attention to those who came up with war-changing techniques, along with others who improved society with new ideas. He raised his head to look around and quickly found what he was looking for: a fire dragon wearing silver robes similar to those of the Chronicler – though far less tattered – presiding over a raised stone counter with leatherbark sheets of data.

'Excuse me!' he asked with book in paw. 'I was wondering if I could take this book home?'

The fire dragon raised her head expectantly, eyeing him without a change in her expression. 'Ah. You mean borrow. May I see the book, please?'

Her voice was rather business-like and fast-talking. Caught a little off guard at her acknowledgement, Spyro pushed the book delicately up on to the counter. She peered down at the book for a second, gave a single nod and pricked a claw into one of her lists.

'Very well. HoftS: Issue 1. Logged. Be sure to return it within a week. If not, you must notify me of an extension on your loan. If you do not, then you must pay a fine of 15 coins or gems.' And just like that, she returned her gaze to her lists. 'You may go.'

Spyro stared up at her in confusion. 'Uh... what's your name? What do you do with those lists?'

She gave an impatient snort before looking up at him again. 'Ah. You are new here. I will indulge your curiosity – for the moment. I am Areth - the custodian of all the books contained in these towers. Therefore, I cannot waste too much time dithering with new proprietors. I've had many new deliveries to keep track of this morning already.' She cleared her throat sharply. 'Now, if there is nothing else, leave me to my work. I have little time for such interruptions.'

Spyro edged away, his enthusiasm for reading a new book quickly evaporating at meeting such a strange dragon. He wondered whether he was more bothered that she didn't change her expression once, or that she didn't even refer to him as the purple dragon.

While musing over whether to borrow more books and deal with Areth again, he was surprised to see Solaris huddled in a corner with a small pile of books – even more so when he realised she was reading the very same book he'd just picked up.

'Solaris?' he asked cautiously. 'What are you doing here?'

Solaris looked up at him flatly. 'I'm here for the great view of distrustful and suspicious faces come to greet me.'

Spyro glanced over his shoulder at some of the other dragons around. 'Oh. Sorry – I guess they're just not used to a magma dragon being around yet.'

Solaris gave a single nod. 'It wouldn't be so annoying if they would mind their own business. There aren't many hours in a day to waste, after all. I'd rather look at this information then another frown my way.'

There was an awkward pause as Spyro tried to think of something to say, while Solaris continued reading during the silence instead.

'So... is that book any good? I just borrowed it, actually... but I had to go through Areth.'

Solaris nodded without taking her eyes off the pages. 'Yes. Quite interesting, in fact. Of course it would be, since there isn't any written lore where I come from. And Areth is one of the few dragons around here I can tolerate.'

'Tolerate?' Spyro almost exclaimed. 'She's very strange to me.'

'To you, maybe. She was quite helpful to me. The process of borrowing many books at a time is greatly optimised when you don't waste time with pointless questions and annoying facial expressions.'

'Oh.' Spyro figured Solaris and Areth were alike, in some way at least. 'I might borrow a few more too. What are those other ones you've got?'

Solaris turned to look at her small pile. 'Basically they're detailing notable dragons among each race. Fire, Electricity, Earth and Ice. I wanted to know what traits you Guardian dragons found agreeable or desirable in an individual.' She paused for a moment. 'Oh, yes. I found a small text on the same for Shadow dragons. It is only a fraction the length of these others, however. I often wonder why information on Cynder's ilk is so rare.'

Spyro paused thoughtfully, eyeing her pile of books with interest. 'I'd like to know, too.' He frowned down at the small book she referred to at the bottom of her pile. 'Wait... is that the only one they have in here?'

Solaris answered carefully. 'Yes... why?'

'I need to know about Shadow dragons as well. It's important... to me.'

Solaris frowned suspiciously. 'To you? I would think it's more important to Cynder to know her heritage, not to your idle curiosity.'

'It's not idle curiosity.' Spyro sighed, hushing his voice a little. 'I had a vision recently – that Shadow dragons lived in Convexity.'

'Convexity?'

She ground her teeth in frustration, seemingly at herself. 'All these hours of reading, and not once have I heard of this 'Convexity'. What is it?'

Spyro hesitated. 'It's... not common knowledge. And no offense, but I'd rather it stay that way.'

Solaris groaned with sharp annoyance. 'How do you expect me to help you succeed when I don't know something that you deal with on a common basis?'

Spyro raised his brow in surprise. 'How do you know it's a common basis for me?'

'By the way you said it. You sound like you wish it didn't exist.'

'I don't.'

'Then that comes back to my first question, doesn't it?'

Spyro hung his head in defeat. 'OK, I'll tell you. But... me? Succeed? Succeed at what? I'm not really doing anything important right now...'

Solaris nodded in agreement. 'You know that will change, though – don't you?'

After another period of silence, Solaris spoke up again. 'Are you going to tell me now, or later?'

'Tomorrow,' Spyro said. 'I wanted to talk to Volteer again, and it's getting late...'

'Then I'll be expecting you at my house – the smallest of the inner ring of the Fire District – at three-Solus. I look forward to hearing about Convexity and your other lingering problems.'

Spyro raised a confused brow, but Solaris had already returned her attention to reading. He moved to leave before the sun got too low outside the window beyond them. He glanced back at her one more time, and saw her gazing outside longingly. It only just occurred to him that she must miss her family, but he was still wary of asking her now. _Maybe tomorrow, I can get some more information from her as well._

Afterwards, as Spyro moved up the staircase towards the lecture hall, then the top level, he heard the distinct refined voice of Cyril along with Volteer's garble. He approached the large stone door enclosing the stairwell exit and knocked after a few moments of scraping claws. He was then met by a grimacing Volteer musing over something in his head – given how distracted he seemed.

'Uh... Spyro, ah... I'm sorry, my boy, I am rather distant from your studies at this time. To the old and weary, there are many matters which must stay confidential, hidden, sealed away...'

'Volteer!' Cyril chided from within the room. 'You really must focus!' He strode forward to greet Spyro as his fellow Guardian returned to the scrolls littering the stone floor. 'I'm very sorry, Spyro, but we're discussing a rather delicate matter. And while I'd hate to worry you, we might have to talk to you and Cynder about it in the near future. Terrador, Nadina and I encountered some crazed Skavengers at the shipwreck, and Nadina's sustained a rather strange injury.'

Spyro opened his jaw slightly with concern. 'Is she alright?'

'She's otherwise fine... but as I said, this warrants some more discussion. We'll be ready to present our findings to you soon. Tomorrow at the earliest.' He frowned apologetically. 'If such is the case, we'll send Clauk to fetch you and Cynder.'

Spyro glanced over at Volteer, who was indeed too preoccupied for his planned visit. He nodded reluctantly.

'OK. I'll talk to you later – Cyril, Volteer.'

Anticipation briefly squirmed within his stomach. By the way Cyril sounded, it was a serious matter, and if it turned out to be another journey to find something important... he wasn't sure if he was ready. He was only just getting used to the rhythm of learning and living normally. And if it was a threat...

He lowered his head and sighed heavily as he crept down the stairs, towards a window to take flight. His thoughts quickly turned to what Sparx and Cynder would have to say about it. _I hope it's not a grave matter..._

* * *

'Spyro, calm down!' Sparx exclaimed yet again, that night after Spyro found them wandering the city; Cynder's face instantly brightening at his return. Spyro's anxiety didn't abate however, as he began pacing on his own when Cynder began browsing his books. Cynder tried reading but was too distracted by Spyro's pacing in the living room and soon joined Sparx in his protests.

'Spyro, you're probably overreacting,' she spoke calmly. 'We're both still feeling the effects of the war – it's only been about a week. I think you need another evening flight.'

Sparx didn't look pleased. 'Great. Yet something else I can't be around for.'

Cynder smirked up at the dragonfly. 'Having fun kind of entails that, Sparx...'

Spyro groaned and sat down. 'I guess you're right, Cynder.' He frowned to himself. 'But... after that attack, we know the grublins as a whole are still out there somewhere – we shouldn't get too comfortable.'

Sparx pursed his lips tiredly. 'Ugh... why not? In case you didn't notice, Spyro, there are a lot of bigger and older dragons around to do things. You're just too used to doing them yourself. At least Cynder here only had to help with the war.' At the disapproving glance from her, he raised his hands. 'What?'

'I helped because I wanted to,' she said lowly. 'Not because I had to.'

Sparx shrugged. 'Maybe. That's not what I heard last time we were here.'

'Whatever, Sparx!' Cynder turned her attention back to Spyro. 'Point is; you need to do something instead of standing around. What do you want to do? I'd be fine trying to catch up on some of your books, but you're being too distracting.'

'Yeah... sorry.' Spyro closed his eyes for a moment. 'I guess I can't ask Cyril about it... so... I suppose we can go out again. It might clear my head.'

Sparx yawned loudly, leaning down on the high kitchen counter mournfully. 'Well, have fun guys. I'll just be here... a measly dragonfly in a dragon world.'

Spyro and Cynder both rolled their eyes a little as they departed, but Spyro paused to look back when they got out onto the open stone pavement outside.

'Maybe he's got a point. Not every dragon has a sibling as small as him. Is he going to hang around Warfang, just doing nothing? He can't stay here forever.'

Cynder touched his shoulder with her wing. 'He'll find something to do eventually. If not... didn't you say you came from Mushroom Swamp? He could go home; when he feels he's ready.'

Spyro's eyes fell a little. 'I guess... and I wouldn't be joining him when he does.'

Cynder nodded sympathetically. 'Yeah...'

* * *

Time seemed to fly for the two dragons and dragonfly. Before she knew it, Cynder found herself groggily answering the door in early light. It wasn't too early in the morning, but she and Spyro wanted to sleep in after two long flights in one day.

When she slid the large door open, she was surprised by Clauk's figure standing in front of her. He didn't seem as joyful as last time he was sent for them. She eyed up at him, knowing full well what he was here for.

'Oh! Morning, Clauk. What is it?'

'Morning, Cynder,' he grunted heavily, emanating concern. 'I've been sent for you and Spyro. I'm sorry, but it seems quite serious. I fear I'll be bringing bad news to both of you.' He sighed. 'But, Cyril insisted. And it's hard to argue with someone like him.'

Cynder turned around, but Spyro was already there, rubbing his eyes glumly – startling them both. 'So you're here, Clauk. I expected as much.'

Clauk bowed his head respectfully, as well as apologetically. 'I'm sorry, Spyro. Did I wake you?'

'I couldn't really sleep well anyway.'

Spyro strode forward towards the door, jerking his head upwards. 'Sparx! Come on, let's go.'

Clauk and Cynder glanced at each other worriedly as he went out the door without waiting for his brother. He definitely wasn't his usual bright self.

Sparx took a while to awaken fully, but once he'd joined them and grabbed a few morning snacks they set out – this time Sparx flying alongside them rather than clinging on. When Cynder asked about the sudden change, he furrowed his gold brow with determination.

'I have to get as fast as I can; otherwise how can I follow you two around so you don't do any...' He pursed his lips with slight disgust. '...funny business.'

Clauk led them from the front, oblivious to any discussion they may or may not be having.

To their surprise, Sparx didn't slow them down too much, and they arrived at the Grand Hall without much delay. Sparx immediately drooped his wings with exhaustion and took to resting on Spyro's flank. The purple dragon raised a scaly brow curiously, to which he was answered with a yawn. 'Least your big body's good for something.'

Clauk opened the way for the trio before doubling back to guard the door, as they were met with expectant gazes from the Three Guardians. They were still discussing something with Nadina – which Spyro couldn't quite catch. Under their heavy gazes, Sparx quickly broke out of his trance to hover alongside Spyro.

'Spyro, Cynder. Thank you for coming,' Terrador announced. 'We've called you all here for a... proposal, of a sort.'

'Proposal?' Sparx echoed worriedly. 'Not darkness, demise, or doom this time?'

The four dragons glanced at each other briefly. '... Perhaps.' Cyril said. 'We're not sure what it means.'

Cynder shook her head. 'What happened?'

Volteer cut in as it he'd been bottling up his thoughts, startling the trio.

'Well, by their account, on their way to intercept an allegedly forced crash by the Skavengers, Terrador, Cyril and Nadina encountered a dark crystal not unlike the kind we dealt with manufactured by Malefor. The few Skavengers alive in there were crazed to a state of base primal instinct, as if something had driven them incomprehensible. Then, a strange eel-like creature burst from the ship, which Nadina attempted to rout, but after withstanding a single attack, left her powerless to pursue. Which, unfortunately, left their original mission unfulfilled. Now, I've theorised the crystal as being the catalyst for their insanity–'

'–The original mission!' Cyril interrupted.

Terrador sighed. 'Yes. There have been many reports from our new scouts of a Skavenger fleet moving close to the coast east of Viridian Forest. They have lingered around there for some time–'

'–because of the unknown assa–'

'–Volteer, really!'

Nadina raised her voice slightly as she continued. 'I found documents inside the ship which indicated their current leader fears the eel creature, and that they needed to deal with it before they could move their fleet on.' She gave a troubled frown. 'When I tried to chase it, it attacked me and left me unable to use my wind element anymore. I still can't use my powers properly; I feel like I'm at quarter strength.'

'You lost your powers?' Cynder whispered worriedly. 'Are you alright?'

Nadina smiled gratefully. 'I'll be fine – knowing that it is returning gradually. It's progress.'

Terrador nodded at her. 'As for what that creature was...' He eyed Volteer tiredly. '_Now _you can–'

'Elraith!'

There was an awkward silence. Sparx broke it with one word. '...What.'

Volteer smiled enthusiastically. 'That is what I'm calling the creature! A new species! Of course, a rather violent and slippery creature, but fascinating nonetheless!'

'What did it look like?' Spyro asked cautiously.

Nadina spoke up. 'Like an eel – what a surprise; it had no limbs, but was able to fly through the air even without wings. Its head was a similar size to mine, but was dark blue, while the rest of its body was a lighter blue. It had...' She paused, taking a gulp. 'White eyes, and didn't blink. And a purple light down its throat as it bit me.'

Spyro stared at her for a moment, but didn't say anything.

'Spyro?' She asked him gently. 'Something on your mind?'

Images of a similar creature rolled through Spyro's head, and it took him a moment to remember where he'd seen one.

'I might be wrong, but... I've seen something like that. Only once... in Convexity.'

Cyril nodded expectantly as Nadina raised a brow in confusion.

'I thought as much. The way it moved was almost... alien.' He groaned with slight frustration. 'That doesn't solve any of our problems, unfortunately.'

Terrador shook his head, eyeing the trio seriously. 'While the... elraith's presence is troubling, it fled to the north, while the fleet is to the east. It is a threat, but we do not know how to deal with it at present. The Skavenger fleet as a whole... is a greater concern. And that's where you and Cynder come in, Spyro.'

'Ahem?'

'... And Sparx too, I suppose. We have a mission for you.'

Spyro, Cynder and Sparx glanced at each other in surprise. 'Mission?' Spyro questioned.

Terrador nodded. 'We need you and Cynder to tail the fleet, find their leader, and figure out what it will take to get them away from Warfang.'

'Away?' Cyril grumbled. 'I'd rather they flay them all and tie them up! We need justice for their crimes during the war. Maybe even destroy their ships, given that they'll most likely attack on sight.'

Sparx eyed Spyro sharply. 'Well, we know all about destroying entire fleets, don't we, Spyro?'

Spyro answered their stares with shock. 'They destroyed themselves! All the ships were on fire before I even got to them, Sparx!'

'How big a fleet are we talking, here?' Cynder asked, cutting them off.

'At least six capital ships,' Nadina answered. 'There are usually at least twenty rowboats for each, but our scouts couldn't get close enough to find that out.'

Terrador lowered his head respectfully. 'We're aware that this may be dangerous. We have many other dragons living here who are capable, including some wind dragons; however, Spyro, you have more experience with Skavengers than most others dragons. Given that you defeated Skabb – the Skavengers are more likely to listen to you rather than attack you.'

'How do you figure that?' Sparx asked in disbelief. 'Killing their leader would only make them angry.'

Terrador shook his head. 'From what little we understand about Skavengers, Sparx, is that they don't hold grudges in battle. Their leader is always a result of ousting the last: the strongest before him. I'm hoping Spyro would at least be recognised enough for them to negotiate.' He raised his head thoughtfully, sparing a glance at Cyril. 'The most ideal outcome would be for them to come here and be judged by us. Then they may... possibly... compensate by returning all the stolen goods from the moles. Or equivalent supplies, if they have moved them elsewhere. But, it would be at great risk to Warfang, given their reputation.'

'Either way, we need to be rid of them.' Cyril finished. 'Spyro, Cynder, we call this a mission, rather than a task. You can decide whether to drive them away or bring them here to answer to justice. If you do this for us, you would be compensated.'

Spyro and Sparx looked unsure, but Cynder's eyes lit up curiously. 'How much?'

'50 rubies each. Or their interchangeable value.'

Sparx rubbed his palms together. 'Ooh! I can't even carry that much.'

Cyril glanced over to Volteer, who grimaced uncomfortably. 'I apologise, Sparx, but we can't afford to compensate you too. Spyro needs someone capable of fighting with him, and Cynder is the obvious choice.'

Sparx immediately fell silent. 'Too good to be true.' He folded his arms. 'I'm still coming, though. I need to get away from the dragon stench of an entire city.

Spyro and Cynder watched each other for a reaction. 'Thoughts?' he asked her.

'Of course I'll go with you!' she stated vehemently. 'I won't let those stupid dogs hurt you. And I need some payback for all that time in that cell...'

Spyro sighed, and Cynder was surprised to see him more relaxed than before. 'I don't want any other dragons risking their lives when they don't have to. I'll do it, Terrador. And... I'm not sure about needing any money for this...'

Cyril nodded with approval. 'We know you're not used to this, Spyro, but services from dragons should be rewarded appropriately. Now that we're in a position to, we can treat you and Cynder fairly. You can't live in Warfang without having something tangible to your name.'

Cynder looked pleased. 'Good! I've started to want to buy things, after looking around.'

They fell silent when Clauk called out a warning outside, sharp enough for them to hear. 'Who are you? The Guardians are in an important meeting.'

'Yes... and Spyro missed one. Let me in.'

After a slight pause, they spotted the blue dragoness come through one of the doors, eyeing Spyro intently. To his surprise, she didn't look at all angry.

'So. I see you were otherwise preoccupied, Spyro. I figured only a meeting with the Guardians would be important enough to leave me uninformed of your plans.'

Cyril eyed her curiously. 'Hm. The magma dragon, is it?'

Terrador nodded. 'Solaris is the newcomer who has joined Spyro and Cynder's class. A dragon from another continent – we're fortunate one has managed to find us.'

Cyril stiffened slightly, but otherwise didn't react. Terrador regarded her curiously. 'Do you need something, young dragoness? Like Clauk mentioned, we are in an important meeting.'

Solaris eyed them flatly, standing beside Cynder. 'If Spyro and Cynder are leaving, where does that leave Volteer's class?'

Volteer opened his mouth briefly. 'Of course! I've neglected to inform my students... this mission may take days... and it is nearly time for week two!' He sighed miserably. 'I'm afraid the classes will have to be postponed until you two return and are fit to learn again.'

Solaris stiffened her body, looking somewhat deflated at the news. 'So where does that leave me? I'm not content to sit on my tail in the library with nothing else to do.'

'Why don't you come with us?' Cynder offered, to which Sparx ground his teeth behind her head.

Solaris paused thoughtfully, but shook her head. 'I'm afraid I will slow you down. Aren't you flying quite a long way? I can't fly for long distances without resting frequently. I doubt that hovering lamp-post would slow you down as much.'

Sparx stuck his tongue out at her, while Spyro looked at her suspiciously. _How much did she hear?_

Volteer cut in again, once again with excitement. 'I have an idea! While I may not be teaching this week, we may be able to scour the ruins beneath Warfang for any lost information. Hm... yes! Several days should be enough to get myself in and out with substantial salvage.'

'Interesting...' Solaris said. 'May I join you, Volteer?'

Spyro and Cynder glanced at her with surprise. The way she interrupted him in class with annoyance usually meant she wouldn't want to put up with his tangents all the time.

Volteer seemed unfazed. 'Are you certain? I mean... of course! It would mean I wouldn't have to ask Cyril to help.'

As Cyril recoiled with apparent shock, then relief, Terrador nodded at them with approval. 'Since Spyro and Cynder went down there, we haven't seen many Shadows left. If they still exist, they are weak to fire, so your abilities should prove useful – provided you know how to use them?'

Solaris nodded. 'Of course. I can demonstrate to you, if you like.'

Volteer stepped down from his alcove. 'It would be more appropriate for you to demonstrate to me, my dear. Would you come with me? We have some work to do.'

Solaris left with him without protest. Terrador nodded to himself before turning back to the trio before him.

'When should we leave?' Spyro asked, quickly becoming eager to get out and flying.

Terrador shrugged slightly. 'Whenever you wish, but the sooner the better. We'd rather not give the Skavengers more chances to cause damage. The scrap they leave around can't be good for the ocean.' He raised his head to look through a window. 'They were last seen fleeing towards the south, but they will likely turn southeast towards the ocean.'

Cyril cleared his throat. 'I still believe there is no diplomatic solution with Skavengers, but... the decision is up to you, Spyro. Call it a test, if you will.' He stretched his wings a little, the tension from the past few days unfurling. 'Don't worry about our reactions; just do what you can to resolve the situation. And Cynder' – he eyed her stiffly, but not coldly – 'do your best. Warfang trusts you as well.'

* * *

Volteer and Solaris watched the trio fly overhead as they made their way down the front steps to the training area, side by side. Solaris couldn't help but feel a little guilty at having first access before Spyro or Cynder; even though it was a special case.

'Suddenly, I am not so sure about this, Volteer.'

'Sure about what?' Volteer instantly spoke up without turning his head. 'I agree, the preparation required is rather sudden, and this may be the first time you've been underground. However, discovery waits for no one, and I doubt you would have volunteered–'

Solaris shook her head. 'I mean, should we not get more dragons to come with us? Why were the Earth and Ice Guardians not inclined to join you?'

'They are understandably busy, my dear. And neither one is privy to my mannerisms – especially alone.' He jerked his head from side to side thoughtfully. 'Like I said, understandable. Wait!' He briefly frowned down at her at his side. 'Why are you coming, then? As I've come to understand in our brief time during lessons; you disapprove as well.'

Solaris narrowed her eyes slightly. 'Only when it wastes others' time. I don't mind so much. I've never met a dragon that talks before anything else.'

Volteer looked uncertain if that was a compliment or insult. 'I'm afraid I find that hard to believe – if you'll forgive me.' He paused thoughtfully. 'No Magma dragons are like me?'

Solaris managed something close to a smile. 'My sister comes the closest. Even then, she's only friendly, rather than talkative.'

'A sister! Would it be possible for you to describe her?'

Solaris slowly shook her head. 'I'd... rather not. I need to stay focused, and I can't think too much of home right now.'

She strode forward towards the series of large domed halls to their left. Volteer shook his head tiredly. _The stubbornness of youth._

'Solaris, there's no point keeping such feelings of home and family bottled up. If you talk with someone, you'll feel better in the long run. Scientifically proven!'

Solaris simply grunted as he followed her through the central hall's main entrance. Her eyes widened slightly as she studied the interior.

Most of the floor before her was a sand-coloured stone surface, with noticeable cracks and dents scattered over it. It looked like dragons, and perhaps cheetahs and mole warriors, did everything from melee combat and target practice, to elemental use. Large targets and straw dolls of apes, grublins and orcs were stored in a large, but smaller room to her right, while she glimpsed some worn armour and weapons to her left. A similar setup was ahead; likely two large arenas were needed for simultaneous training of different types. The ceiling was rather odd: a single large stone disc was perched between the intersection of the two stone support walls above, as if it could be slid to cover one room or the other. Solaris figured that Earth dragons would handle that duty.

'How will this work?' She asked uncertainly. Solaris couldn't deny she was impressed with the Guardians' setup; her own training back home was rather monotonous while retaining significant difficulty. Volteer eyed the targets and grublin dummies in particular.

'Well, Solaris, to begin–'

Quickly thinking of ways to use the equipment best, she began gathering targets without waiting for Volteer, setting up four targets at the edges of the stone ring. He watched silently as she took position on the opposite side, lowering her wings towards her body and raising her tail slightly. Then, she emitted a steady, thick stream of blue fire, bathing the arena in its cold light, swinging her head to quickly reduce the four targets to piles of ashes. Volteer cringed a little from the heat, despite his distance from her. He quickly beamed with approval as he surveyed the destruction.

'Well! Even I wasn't expecting that much oxygen input! Well done!'

Solaris narrowed her eyes, obviously confused at how easily he was impressed. 'Wait, is that it? That's enough for you?'

Volteer attempted to regain his composure. 'Ah... for targets, I suppose. I'd like to gather what you can do against moving targets; the dummies we have here are the closest we can get to real enemies.'

Solaris nodded with approval. 'Of course.' She studied the dummies in the storage rooms curiously. 'How do they work, exactly? I don't see any strings for them. Nor puppeteers.'

'Like all answers to the ways of the dragon, dear. Magic!'

She watched with both fascination and disgust as Volteer walked slowly towards the storage room, focusing and closing his eyes. After a few moments, sparking electricity began to run through several grublin dummies as they sprung to life, along with the rustle of thick straw. Volteer retreated to the interior of the storeroom, in view of the arena without being exposed to residual heat or projectiles. Half a dozen grublin dummies quickly surrounded Solaris in the middle, who brandished her wings and tail.

'OK, Solaris. When you are ready. I will make them attack you, but without weapons, it shouldn't be a problem.'

Solaris gave a slightly dissatisfied grunt, but nodded.

The grublin dummies sprung to life, hopping and bobbing around in a surprisingly lifelike manner. Solaris kept turning in a circle, waiting for one to attack.

When they did, all six attacked in a string, leaping at her from all sides. She immediately leapt sidewards towards the slowest, catching it under her claw. Clamping down on it with her jaw, she swept the other five aside with her wing before frying them all at once with a wide cone of fire, not as hot as her concentrated stream, but hot enough to disable the dummies. She finished by tearing the head off her prisoner.

'Well done, once again, Solaris!'

She didn't say a word, still breathing heavier after the adrenaline kicked in briefly. She quickly turned to Volteer with a stiff face. 'Give them weapons this time.'

Volteer nodded with approval. 'Alright; it wouldn't hurt to add realism to this approach.'

More dummies rose from the storage room; this time with crude, metal-tipped spears. Solaris braced herself eagerly; it had been too long since she'd fought enemies of any sort. The adrenaline felt strangely refreshing.

With eight opponents, she quickly bludgeoned her way through to the edge of the ring to avoid being surrounded. Any dummies that got close to her were either burned to a crisp or swatted away with her wings, and her tail if approaching from behind. It wasn't long before she was done. But it wasn't enough.

'Don't you have more dangerous dummies, Volteer?'

The Electric was beginning to grow concerned. 'Well, yes, Solaris, but we won't be encountering anything apart from Shadows...'

'Give me those Orc dummies. Five. With weapons. '

Volteer shook his head reluctantly. 'Solaris, I do not think that's a good idea–'

Solaris growled sharply. 'How are you supposed to trust me to accompany you unless you test me properly? Give me more dummies.'

Volteer hesitated, but five Orc-sized dummies began to rise. At her piercing gaze, he reluctantly directed them to gather stone clubs, swords and small shields.

As the five surrounded her, Solaris grinned slightly in anticipation. She hadn't fought Orcs before – she was looking forward to learning their attack patterns.

Volteer strung his lip with what he was going to make them do.

The two behind her attacked her flank, but she sidestepped one and allowed the other to connect, blocking it with her wing. She caught its arm in her jaw with just enough time to burn its arm off before the other three responded by leaping forward. They avoided her initial wing swipe and two managed to hit her torso, but she was unfazed by their clubs and twisted her body inwards, drawing their bodies closer to her as she tore off several more limbs and jumped heavily off the new pile she'd created. One dummy collapsed, its head cut off.

The four remaining dummies recovered and pressed her from all fronts, keeping their shields raised. Solaris kept low, waiting for one to attack, but none did. After a few moments, she gave in and spewed a concentrated stream at one, immediately destroying its shield as her stream coated its body.

The others immediately picked up on the opening and leapt forward, one rolling around her and attempted to pin down her tail. She cut off her stream on the newly destroyed dummy to avoid it, but ended up taking a club to her neck and horn before she could raise both her wings in time.

There was sudden silence as Volteer severed his connection to the dummies, causing them to go limp and topple to the ground, three out of five still intact.

'What are you doing!?'

Volteer had lost his previous enthusiasm, regarding her with concern. 'That's enough, Solaris. The test is over.'

She paused uncertainly. 'But... I wasn't finished.'

Volteer shook his head. 'I say you are.'

'The test shouldn't be over until I've destroyed all my targets!'

Volteer raised a scaly yellow brow. 'I don't know how it works where you come from, but here, we test your abilities only to the degree necessary. Besides, incurring additional injuries is counter-intuitive to our purposes here.'

Solaris admitted he had a point. '...I suppose.' She couldn't help but feel drained, knowing the test was over.

Volteer studied her as he approached. 'You took more of a beating than I would have liked. Your style of fighting is a little... strange to me.' His expression quickly brightened. 'Must be how you were taught to fight from Magma dragons! Interesting. I'll have to make a note of this when we return. Each dragon has their own fighting style, after all...'

Solaris ignored him and his newfound enthusiasm, too frustrated at her own performance against new opponents.

_I should have destroyed them all! Even if I get injured, it feels far too strange to end a fight half-way. That's never happened to me before. And I doubt in times of war, this training would have been enough for them. I need to get better._

'...Solaris? Is your mind present?'

She shook her head before focusing on Volteer's confused expression. 'What?'

'You need to gather your supplies. That is, if you want to leave tonight? You'll need some rations, at the very least, but it all depends on your metabolism – do Magma dragons need more or less than us? Hmm... by your age and weight, you would–'

She cut him off with a sharp grunt. 'I'll be fine. I'll meet you out the front of your Council Chambers, if that's sufficient.'

Volteer paused abruptly as he nodded. '-Oh. Yes, of course.'

* * *

'Spyro? Hey! I'm talking to you!'

The purple dragon was interrupted mid-flight by his brother flying in front of his face briefly, folding his arms expectantly.

'You might not know this, brother, but Cynder isn't a dragon to be ignored.'

Spyro shook his head to meet Cynder's annoyed expression.

'Uh... sorry, Cynder. You were saying?'

She rolled her eyes. 'I said – since when did you and Solaris meet each other privately?'

Sparx smirked as he picked up the jealousy in her expression. 'Ooh.'

'Oh – yeah, that,' Spyro stammered. 'I met her in the library, actually... and then I mentioned Convexity. That was a mistake. Now she wants to know all about it!' He sighed heavily. 'And it's hard to say no when she's... staring.'

Sparx nodded sympathetically. 'That icy stare, right? Scary. No wonder the other dragons run away from her.'

'Sparx!' Cynder interrupted with a frown. 'No need to be mean.' She relaxed. 'Why does she want to know about Convexity? Even I want to forget it... and all that's happened.'

Spyro nodded. 'I know – but she says she wants to help me. With what, I don't really know... but she told me to meet her, and that's that. I'm... surprised she wasn't mad at all.'

Cynder curled her lips in an attempt to look menacing. '"Her" mad? What about me?'

Spyro couldn't help but chuckle a little. 'What? You preferred the old times?'

Sparx glanced between them in shock. 'Dude, not funny!'

Spyro frowned thoughtfully after a while. 'We have to think of things to pack... if anything. Just saying it sounds strange.'

He and Sparx never brought any supplies with them when they initially searched for the Guardians after meeting Ignitus. Sparx didn't eat much, and there were usually enough bugs around for him until they got back to the temple. The night mosquitoes kept Sparx well fed there. As for Spyro, he ate nearly everything edible at a young age rather than pure meat; even eating some of the larger insects too big for Sparx.

'I think we should catch a few butterflies beforehand...' Cynder thought out loud. 'Just so, you know, he doesn't complain.'

Sparx groaned. 'Ugh... you think I fancy stale butterfly wings? Or worse, roasted... no thanks to Spyro on numerous occasions.' He folded his arms behind his head as he flew along with their steady glides. 'I'll wing it, I guess.'

They quickly returned to their home, searched the upstairs guest room for their sets of armour, and met each other outside once they were ready. They made their way to a nearby plateau from the district tier overlooking the marketplace below, the orange stone and bustling marketplace lit up by the midday sun. As they stood there for a moment, they spotted Hunter manning the wall, and decided to see him before they left.

The cheetah's ears perked up as he turned, as did his Great Falcon. Hunter scanned them and their equipment curiously.

'You are leaving for battle?'

Spyro shook his head. 'Not really, we're just prepared.' He stepped forward. 'Hunter, do you have any advice for us?'

Cynder regarded him with confusion. 'How would he know, Spyro? He doesn't know where we're going–'

Hunter chuckled lightly. 'I've known about the Skavengers for some time, Cynder. However...' His ears lowered with displeasure. 'I've only encountered them a few times in my life, and they were not friendly chats, to say the least.' He turned to them again. 'As for the three of you, I would suggest you tread carefully. When Skavengers are not trying to kill you, they are most likely sizing you up for a better use. It is in their nature to be greedy.' He paused thoughtfully, and raised his arm towards Talon, prompting the great avian to hop onto it. The trio watched them, Sparx with a blank stare, as Hunter muttered a few words in what Spyro surmised was his tribe's unique dialect. Talon answered with an enthusiastic, but short trill.

Hunter nodded to himself as he turned to them. 'He wants to go with you.'

Spyro and Cynder raised their brows in surprise, but Sparx immediately rubbed his forehead thoughtfully. 'Hmm... he'd probably be a big help, Spyro.'

'What?' Spyro asked. 'No objections?'

'That bird has as good tracking skills as those other cheetahs. Thing is, it can fly. And it can lead us towards those mutts faster than just heading towards where they were last seen.'

Hunter nodded in agreement. 'Indeed. However, you'll want to take Talon to the wreckage the Guardians investigated already. Talon should be able to track by the smell, even if they're recently dead. And the ship's design will allow him to find them quicker on the horizon.'

As Spyro and Cynder nodded with determination, Sparx hovered in front of Talon's face. 'One ground rule, falcon. No. Eating. The Sparx.'

Hunter twitched his ears with amusement as Talon cawed with his take-off, hurrying to follow the two young dragons and quickly matching their pace. _Ground rules don't apply to the Falcons._

* * *

Spyro couldn't help but be impressed with their progress. With Sparx now adapting the habit of riding on his horn, and Talon easily keeping up with Cynder, they made quick progress and found the Skavenger wreckage in the Viridian Forest marked by the thin column of smoke still rising from it. The stench was stifling, bringing up unpleasant memories for all of them and their time in prison. Thankfully, Talon nosed his beak through the scorched earth for only a minute before they were off again. Cynder couldn't help but chuckle at his display, thinking to herself how oddly adorable it was.

The dragons found the ocean air invigorating as they flew over the shore's border, the glistening water somewhat blinding for a while after the shade of the forest. They couldn't help but feel light and full of energy despite the mission they were assigned. Sparx, predictably, was not so thrilled, having to constantly cling on for dear life at their speed, worrying that they might forget about him if he fell off.

After half an hour, Talon began to swerve eastwards and took a good few minutes before he continued in a straight line. Against the cloudless sky, Cynder's eyes widened as she spotted tiny shapes in the distance, but she couldn't yet tell if they were Skavenger ships.

Spyro soon spotted them too, and their expressions lowered as they braced themselves to intercept them. The ships coming into view were clearly Skavenger: the red, brown and white flags and painted hulls gradually becoming clearer; a menacing presence against the serene sky.

However, the ships seemed to be changing direction, as they spotted half a dozen shapes slowly turn their hulls eastward and away from them. Cynder frowned with annoyance. 'Have we been spotted already?'

With the ship's new direction, the sun began to set as the hours rolled into the late afternoon, and Spyro and Cynder steadied their pace so as to make sure they could land before they exhausted themselves. They looked up as they spotted the ships turning again, this time to the north. Cynder sighed with relief as they picked up the pace.

They finally drew close enough to see glimpses of small figures occasionally scurry on the deck, but the nearest capital ship seemed understaffed, as no alarms, war cries or cannon blasts were heard. They passed under the deck and began to circle the ship, looking for a way in, taking care to avoid sounds of drunken laughter or claws against wood. After a few minutes, Spyro spotted a secondary row of cannon ports that were vacant near the bottom, and he took the lead, gliding quietly, and deftly pulling himself through the hole, Cynder and Talon bringing up the rear. They kept low as the dragons crept along the ground around the wooden crates, while Talon hopped in an effort to keep up. Thankfully, they ran the length of the room and found no Skavengers; it seemed to have been made into a storage room, with most of the cannon ports clumsily blocked up by supply crates.

The narrow room ended with a fire-lit doorway, leading to an open hole with a casket the Skavengers used as makeshift elevators. There was space to go around, as the hole was much larger than the casket, and judging from the smell and stained walls of the tube, it was used for waste disposal. As Spyro listened for voices and heard none, he sighed heavily.

'We're in.'

Sparx finally allowed himself to unstick from Spyro's horn, brushing himself off. 'Ugh. Back with the gurgling nitwits.' He smirked to himself as he glanced at Cynder thoughtfully. 'I bet we can get some payback, huh? Just that one punch to that stupid bird didn't feel like enough...' He slowly turned and jumped in the air to see Talon staring down at him, perched on a weapon rack.

Spyro sighed. 'Sparx, I don't want to start unnecessary trouble with them if we can help it.'

'Speaking of...' Cynder wondered. 'What's your plan? I don't see how we're going to make them answer for their crimes against Warfang, and find out what attacked their ship, AND avoid a fight.'

Spyro paused thoughtfully. 'Well, Terrador did say that their captains are decided by who's the strongest. If they know about me and Skabb, they might be willing to listen to me.'

'...Or try to kill you for destroying half the fleet,' Sparx pointed out, 'given how few ships they have this time.'

Spyro nodded. 'I just hope they aren't _that_ stupid. If they are...' He groaned regretfully. 'Some will have to die.'

Cynder rolled her eyes. 'I think you give them too much credit. But...' She stretched tiredly. 'I'll follow your lead. It's always worked out before.'

Sparx narrowed his eyes at Talon, who was now preening his wing feathers. 'What about this guy? Do I have to babysit him?'

Talon quickly raised his head and tilted it, as if to say "you wish", causing Spyro to smile.

'Maybe it's the other way around, Sparx. He's got more experience in battle than you.' He glanced at Cynder and examined her, realising she was rather worn out. Then all of a sudden, his own body sagged at the thought of resting for a while.

'Ugh... we might need to rest for a few hours.' He stifled a yawn. 'Cynder, what do you remember about the Skavenger's sleeping patterns?'

'That they were terrible.'

Sparx groaned. 'Meaning?'

Cynder paused thoughtfully. 'Judging from how they kept me up... they stay up late and wake up randomly. Didn't do me any favours, that's for sure.'

Spyro nodded to himself. 'Okay, we'll rest for a few hours and continue on; hopefully they'll all be asleep by then. Cynder and I should take turns for watches. I'll take the first one, Cynder.'

Cynder gave him a glum look. 'What, you going easy on me again?' She smiled. 'Thanks, Spyro.'

They found a small clearing with a concealing wall of supplies and junk shielding it from view towards the back of the room. Cynder curled up in place, resting her head on her forelegs as she soon dozed off. Sparx tested the floor, grunted with disgust before reluctantly landing on her flank. Spyro watched them for a while before returning his attention to the surroundings, in view of the port they came in from and the elevator door.

He was startled when Talon flapped up to stand on a crate next to him, eyeing him expectantly. Spyro looked back, confused.

'Uh... what? You want something, Talon?'

The avian tilted his head and chirped shortly, but Spyro shook his head.

'I don't understand, Talon.' He groaned. 'Ugh... I should have seen this coming. I can't talk to animals!'

Talon ruffled his feathers in annoyance at his mention of _animals_, but gazed at him intently. Spyro tilted his head as he tried to make sense of what the bird was trying to say. They stayed like that for a few minutes, with Talon barely moving, and Spyro wondering what to tell Hunter if he somehow got his Falcon lost.

_... Watch._

'Huh?' Spyro looked around in alarm, but the voice didn't sound like a Skavenger. He glanced at Cynder and Sparx, but they were fast asleep. He looked at Talon again.

_Watch._

Spyro raised a claw and pointed a digit at the Falcon. 'You?'

Talon nodded.

'You'll take my watch?' Spyro asked, but Talon didn't respond. He thought the question to himself instead, but Talon nodded again.

_Are you sure?_

The bird inclined his head, turning to face the elevator door, shifting his body to a similar position to where Spyro was before. The purple dragon just stared at the bird in surprise.

'Uh... thank you.'

Spyro let himself return to Cynder and Sparx, curling himself up next to them. Before he fell asleep, he wondered if he could rely on Talon with the job at all, but something told him the bird could be trusted.

_Strange..._ was his last thought before they drifted off to sleep, Talon's head swerving as he stood vigilant.

* * *

The sounds of revelry echoed throughout the Fellmuth Arena, now abandoned from its original setting as a betting avenue for animals and other captured creatures. With their supplies dwindling, the Skavenger now used it as a place to simultaneously blow off steam by fighting, drinking, or both. A mix of small soldiers and moderately-sized leaders were scurrying about, carrying their own swigs whilst paying no mind to anyone else's, causing no end of mayhem whilst spilling others' mugs and causing scuffles to break out at random, and ending when one combatant passed out or either lost interest. Among the random brawls and drinking contests, even cannonballs were being unloaded and used as apparent rolling pins. The wide, stone floor was cluttered with tables, rum dispensers, cannons and a mass of bodies. This mess ran through the wooden seat rows above, with one Skavenger figure supervising the festivities solemnly, in stark contrast to the rabid dogs around him, his long rapier resting and planted firmly in the ground.

His eyes were quickly drawn to a distinguished figure. Attempting to navigate the confusion, a leader sentry scooted and weaved to avoid any distractions or obstacles, and after a few minutes, managed to crawl his way up the wooden staircase on the west arena exit, throwing a few soldiers off the balcony, with none paying them mind. Panting with his tongue heaving in and out, he knelt before the wooden throne where upon Snotty was perched, his two Chirrop eyeing him expectantly.

'What'cha lookin' at, fool?'

The purple Chirrup, Sniff, spouted indignantly despite the sentry keeping his gaze focused on Snotty.

'Arr, Snotty, ser... them wee soldiers in charge of tha' supply barge be reportin' noises down below deck again.'

Snotty twitched angrily, but otherwise didn't move. 'Again!? Them tiny scaredy cats be 'fraid of their own shadows! What be settin' 'em off this time?'

The brown Chirrup, Scratch, gazed around at the rabble with morbid annoyance. 'With this level of swill, it's no surprise.'

The sentry bowed his head uncomfortably. 'Their sentries... believ'd they saw shadows followin' 'em. Along with a speck of light followin' _them_. Could it...' He gulped fearfully. 'Could it be more?'

Sniff flapped his wings with hostility. 'We must man battle stations! All hands on deck! We–'

Snotty growled sharply, cutting the avian off. 'Quiet!' He then bowed his head thoughtfully. 'We can't be affordin' more losses. Though we never fought the blasted thin' in a straight fight. We ain't lost that ship yet...' He mumbled to himself for a few moments, causing the sentry before him to slowly get up and shift his attention towards a nearby drinking contest; where both contestants were unsuccessfully trying to drink their mugs upside-down. He took one step as he thought to join them, but yelped when a dagger whistled past his face and stuck down in the ground next to his foot.

'Pay attention, ye muglubber!' Snotty cleared his throat. 'We need to root 'em out. Dem slippery eels! If I could cut 'em to ribbons myself...' He growled lowly as he tensed his grip on his rapier. 'The Big Dogs – when they're awake...' he growled angrily as he glanced around, '...assign 'em to search and destroy, and scour that supply barge. And never separate! That's what got 'em last time. Just started droppin', one by one.' He paused. 'Oh, and get those lil' frogweeds off their supply barge, or they be droppin' themselves off their own ship.'

The sentry nodded dumbly, causing Snotty to groan again. 'Yessir.' He blinked dumbly, before his ears perked up slightly as he remembered something. 'Uh... boss? They've already abandoned ship.'

'...Remind me to throw them off da plank. Blasted cowards.'

Scratch simply sighed as the Sentry saluted and departed. Sniff hopped in place with apparent fury.

'I'll throw them off myself if I ever see them!'


	10. Shadow of Warfang

Chapter 9

Shadow of Warfang

* * *

Solaris gazed up at the faded, ruined gates before them, the look only amplified by the setting sun. The crumbling stones around the once resplendent gates contrasted well with the otherwise well-constructed Warfang behind them.

She was surprised by how well–concealed the underground gate was. It was situated in the south-western corner of the city – a relatively abandoned sector, as it only contained jail cells lined up in a row adjacent to the weapon mills and stoneworks. The rest of the abandoned cityscape was dull, neglected and infested with moss and other strangle plants, though there was little movement from animals anywhere. The journey was quick, but so quiet and eerie that even Volteer remained silent while gliding down with her.

They both carried saddlebags strapped to their backs – mostly writing materials including charcoal and thick paper, along with some leatherbark sheets for general notes. Several large, round bags were strapped to Volteer's flank so as to not damage any writings they would be making during their expedition. They didn't bother bringing food, as what little they would need could be found fresh, even if it was just small rodents like bats and mice. Volteer was particularly amused that Solaris would come in useful for frying their food; she offered no comment upon it.

'How do we get these open?' Solaris finally spoke up.

'The old-fashioned way, I'm afraid.'

Volteer took the lead and paused right in front of the gate, furrowing his yellow brow uncomfortably. 'It just occurred to me that... we may not be able to get in this way, if the Shadows have moved the crimson keys from their positions. Troublesome little creatures.'

Solaris' eyes quickly focused on a large hole in the stone wall, up to their right. 'Can't you get through that hole?'

Volteer shook his head. 'Not without deep, long wounds from those jagged rocks. You shouldn't have trouble, though.'

Solaris narrowed her eyes doubtfully. 'I'm not going in there alone. That's suicide.'

Volteer nodded reluctantly. '...Yes. Well, help me with the gate, then.'

Together, they pushed the gate open enough for them to slip through. Solaris checked the insides for handles, lest they be trapped inside. Thankfully, there were large metal beams inside that served the purpose, and they let the gate swing shut as slowly as it opened. Solaris couldn't help but feel apprehensive as being trapped underground, since she'd never been closed in before. Volteer didn't seem to notice, as he immediately began nosing the floor for any clues to where they should start.

'Solaris, do me a favour and light any torches you see. We cannot find what we're looking for without proper illumination.'

She took a moment to unfreeze herself and spotted a row of torches only just visible from the daylight outside. She blew a quick puff of fire to light the area up, and made her way to the left stone path and lit a string of torches. Apart from the clutter of stone pots and urns along the way, she couldn't yet see what Volteer was so excited about. Volteer was probing the walls behind her, trying to find any runes at all.

'Volteer, explain something to me.'

He paused momentarily to look at her. 'Hm? What is it?'

'What do you expect to find down here?' she asked. 'You've been so busy talking to yourself that I don't truly know what this place is or what it represents.' She lowered her head as she recalled her time in the Lorekeeper's Tower. 'I know this was a massive training ground for your dragon Ancestors, and that Malefor was trained here... given that big plaque on the wall.'

Their eyes were drawn to a stone carving, in great detail of a purple dragon resembling Malefor. Volteer's expression fell a little, as the hopes of the Ancestors were depicted in this carving: of a champion of dragons who would make his mark on the world. And he did – just not the way they wanted. The way anybody wanted.

'I wonder if Spyro will look like that; and be as powerful.'

Volteer couldn't help but frown down at her. 'Solaris... you shouldn't speak so lightly of this.'

'Why?' she questioned firmly. 'Isn't a weak purple dragon a pointless endeavour?'

_Endeavour? What does she mean?_

'What are you talking about, my dear? The purple dragon is a prophecy; not an endeavour.'

Solaris frowned in confusion. 'That's not the way our people tell it. We pass down tales of the purple dragon being a deliberate amalgamation of strong bloodlines of all types of dragons, so as to use all elements and bring balance to the dragon race.'

Volteer couldn't believe what he was hearing, even as intriguing as the tales sounded. 'I don't believe I've read anything about such things... do you believe them, Solaris?'

'They are tales; nothing more. But whether or not the purple dragon is deliberate, they need to be strong in order to protect other dragons. It seems Malefor was a failure.'

_Balance..._

Solaris nodded to herself affirmatively. 'Volteer, if you would be so kind, remind me to read up on your so-called "prophecy" when we get back to Warfang. I still have much to learn, it seems.'

Volteer sullenly continued to study the plaque, before he snapped back to his senses. While Solaris continued lighting torches ahead, he poked around Malefor's depiction for runes or writings. There were a few distinct urns in the corner of the stone walls, marked by gold rims on their lids. From the crumbling debris coming out from their depths, he guessed that any scrolls inside were long since decayed or destroyed.

Still, something about the urns made him carefully unpack each one; laying it on its side and using the light to see if anything inside survived. He almost gasped with delight when the thinnest urn contained a bound scroll in relatively good condition. He quickly unpacked a flexible metal tube and sealed it inside, fighting his desire to immediately unroll it as it would likely crumble.

He was about to leave the area when another flame by Solaris illuminated the floor and markings caught his eye. There were only a few, but they were large and deliberately carved into the floor. Great care had been taken, but they were jagged and deep as if they wanted to enforce the message too much. Out of the several runes, only one was complete.

_SCUM._

Volteer's previous enthusiasm once again dissipated, as the message sent chills down his spine. While he questioned who wrote this message about who, he quickly guessed. From the position it was carved, it looked like a dragon had scratched the message after examining the plaque of Malefor just above. But was it an Ancestor cursing Malefor? Or the other way around?

'Volteer!'

Solaris was waiting at the end of another stone junction, extending to the left into the darkness. Solaris glared at him uncomfortably, shooting weary glances ahead. 'Are you done over there? I don't want you to get lost staring blankly into space. How would I explain to the other Guardians?'

He managed to grin a little as he strode away, wary that they were being watched – like Malefor himself was still haunting the place.

* * *

Spyro slowly woke to a golden light flashing before his eyelids. As he opened them and yawned, he became quite alert as he spotted Sparx amongst the backdrop of the Skavengers' supply barge. He quickly looked around, and was relieved to see that the sun hadn't yet risen completely, and that Cynder and Talon were still around. Talon was still perched on the crate he was before.

'Sparx?' Spyro whispered. 'What's wrong? We haven't been discovered, have we?'

Sparx shook his head quickly. 'No, but... look up.'

He did, and flinched. Right above them, hanging from the ceiling, was a huge, bright-yellow bug creature. It looked somewhat like a crab, but with the long body of a scorpion. And it was just sitting there, and the lack of distinct eyes or jaws made it difficult to know whether it intended on attacking them or not. From their distance, Spyro guessed it was larger than one of the Skavenger soldiers, and almost as long as he was.

Spyro could see why Sparx was creeped out. It was moving just enough for them to know that it was alive. It didn't have obvious pincers either. He hoped it was harmless, as they couldn't afford to fight the creature now while the rest of the ship could be alerted to their presence.

Talon didn't seem at all bothered by it, despite Sparx's direct protests.

'Hey you! Bird guy! Do something! You probably eat these things, right?' He waved his hands in front of the avian's firm gaze. 'Helloooooo!'

'Sparx, keep it down!' Spyro hissed, as Cynder began to stir.

'What's up with those two?' she murmured as she yawned.

'They're just arguing over what to do with that giant crab up there.' Spyro explained shortly.

Cynder raised her head slightly, and her tired eyes widened. 'Um. Yeah, that's creepy.'

'Hey, don't ignore me! Stup – Ow!'

Spyro focused on Talon, trying to get a reaction from him like the night before. After a few moments, he got a vague idea of the bird's thoughts.

'Uh... Sparx? I think that crab's harmless.'

Sparx stopped buzzing around Talon to zoom back to Spyro, folding his arms suspiciously. 'How would you know? Why don't you go up and ask, huh?'

A soft thud drew their eyes to the deck, where two large shell pieces now lay. It looked like a clam or oyster; probably large enough for either of them to eat. But the shell was picked clean of any meat. They looked back up to the crab, which began making soft clicking noises, before slowly crawling away and up through one of the cannon ports.

Spyro smiled to himself. 'See, Sparx? They only eat seafood.'

His brother eyed him flatly. 'Says you. You're not a tiny insect.'

They fell silent as they heard footsteps and low growls from the level above them, along with a few yelps of surprise.

'Ah! Not one of those lim' crabs ag'n...'

'Zip't! We're suppos'd to be watchin' for dem ghosts.'

'But won't Snotty get mad?'

''Bout what?'

'Not cuttin' this thing to ribbons.'

'Seems kinda wasteful, if yer ask me...can we eat it?'

'Yeuch, yer barkin' up the wrong tree dere. Dat skin's hard as wood! No way we can cook't.'

'All we be need'n is a fire. Roast the thing good, sprinkle some sea salt...'

The two began arguing for a few moments, before one growled in annoyance.

'Ya idiots! It be gone awready.'

Spyro glanced at his companions nervously. 'We should move.'

Without another word, they crept along silently, with Talon swooping from perch to perch behind them, as they made their way towards the waste shaft. Cynder listened for footsteps, and the moment they disappeared, she took the lead flying in a spiral motion up through the shaft. The morning sun was beginning to rise, its deep orange rays piercing the hull and lighting up the opening above them.

Cynder and Spyro grasped the edge of the wooden rim, Cynder peeking out first before they all moved cover on the ship's main deck. Several metal cages were stacked untidily before them, and they managed to remain hidden as a small troop of leaders and soldiers continued chasing the limb crab. Cynder stifled a snigger at how fast the thing was moving over the ship's surface, while the Skavengers were struggling to keep up by jumping up and down decks.

'Are they looking for us?' Spyro mused quietly. 'If they are, there might be Commanders roaming about...'

'Speaking of which...' Sparx began, '...what are we supposed to do once they catch us? Isn't the point of all this to find out what happened to their ship?'

Spyro nodded. 'We have to find the captain, and get that information out of him. And then, there's the matter of their crimes against Warfang...'

Sparx couldn't help but smirk to himself. 'Heh... sounds like we might be able to torture one of those miserable mutts.' He glanced at Cynder. 'How about it, Cynder? You can use that freaky red stuff that hurts my ears!'

Spyro was surprised at the suggestion; from what little he did know, Skavengers were canines, and thus had amplified hearing. If Cynder's Fear powers could exploit that... but he quickly shook his head.

'Sparx, if we do that, that'll just antagonize them more. I'd rather solve this peacefully...'

The dragonfly rolled his eyes. 'Whatever. It's just an option.'

Cynder looked similarly amused as she glanced up at Sparx. 'Your way sounds kind of fun, actually.'

'Cynder! Not helping.'

Spyro risked a better view by hopping onto the largest cage in front of them. Before him, the plain deck was smaller than the other warships, and there were no defence cannons or sentries. The red-white striped sails were intact and wide against the wind, but had no discernible markings. Spyro began scanning the other ships within sight to see any markings on their sails, hopefully one under a captain's banner. Cynder quickly joined him, keeping an eye out for any nearby intruders.

While most ships he could see had the same flag designs, there was one noticeably larger ship shrouded by blue fog in the distance. He could see its outline clearly despite this, and after a few moments staring at it, he recognised it as the one containing the Fellmuth Arena – the same ship he was imprisoned on for nearly a week. The only foe he truly remembered was the armour-clad troll, the Executioner, who had been his foe fully intending to kill him rather than toy with him. Thankfully, Dragon Time had kept him from ending up as his victim.

He blinked in surprise. It had only just occurred to him that he hadn't been using Dragon Time at all since he and Cynder awoke from stasis. He quickly recalled that he tried using it in the first battles in the Mountain of Malefor ruins; he couldn't use it at all. Worse, he couldn't recall the sensation, either; it was as if his powers completely changed after three years in a time crystal. He also couldn't contact the Chronicler about it; no visions or voices came to him anymore, dream or not.

'Spyro? You OK?'

Spyro nodded slowly as he was brought back to reality. Cynder eyed him worriedly, as did Sparx.

'I was just... remembering things. That ship... that's where they got you, Cynder.'

Cynder frowned solemnly as she glanced in the same direction. 'Don't remind me.' She sighed quietly. 'That's where we have to go, isn't it?'

Spyro nodded. 'That's our best chance to find the captain. None of the other ships match its size.'

Spyro noticed Talon perched overhead, taking advantage of the wooden beams extending from the mast. They made their way to the ship's bow, still creeping past many empty cages. However, he noticed slight movement within some of them; several Armadillos were trapped, their own cages buried forgotten amongst the other empty ones. They were obviously frightened; their tiny black eyes darting around despite their armoured bodies being still; meaning they had been like this for a while, most likely without food or water.

'What are you doing?' Sparx grumbled as his brother studied the creatures sympathetically.

'You remember that blue one, Sparx?' Spyro murmured sadly. 'I wanted to free it, but I wasn't strong enough.'

Cynder shook her head. 'If we smash the cages open, the whole ship will hear. What can we do for them, anyway? The Skavengers probably eat them; and the only way off is off the plank.'

'She's right,' Sparx agreed, 'We should go, Spyro.'

After he reluctantly turned away, Talon let out a startling shriek, causing them to jump. They suddenly became aware of thundering footsteps right below them, and before they could fly away, a hidden trapdoor burst open and a large clawed paw shot out and grabbed Spyro's tail. As it pulled down on him, Cynder immediately slashed at the arm, causing a yelp and the arm to recoil. They backed up as two large Commanders crept out of the new hole, eyeing them greedily.

'Heh... Snotty was wrong again!' The first Commander, who was missing the usual eyepatch, stroked his large blade. 'Dragons! An' bigger than our last haul.' He eyed Cynder, brandishing her teeth, and he glanced at his arm's claw marks. 'And feisty, too! Been a while since we had dragons in the Arena.'

'If you think you're locking me up...' Cynder began angrily, '... you're sorely mistaken.'

The second Commander eyed Spyro in shock. 'The... the purple dragon! The one that off'd Skabb! Careful, Blither...'

The Commander called Blither simply eyed him with a wide grin. 'Heh. He was the best entertainment we ev'r had, Blather! Just imagine the fun we'll have with these two now that they're not mere whelpings no more.'

Sparx, who was now hiding behind the mast, eyed Blither with disdain. _Moron. The only reason Spyro stuck around in those fights the first time was to get that map. He could have tried to escape any time in those battles – what makes you think he won't now that his wings are bigger?_

'Wait!' Spyro barked when the first brandished his sword. 'We're not here to fight! We just want to talk to your captain; we need information.'

Blither scowled down at the dragon. 'How you know we have a capt'n? You offed ours, remember!?'

Cynder shook her head firmly. 'We know your captain is Snotty now. Take us to him already! And you better not try anything funny, or you'll be sorry.'

The two Commanders eyed each other warily. 'They know 'bout Snotty... what should we do?' Blather asked, but Blither just waved his free arm dismissively.

'I say we bound 'em up and take 'em to Snotty! Then we can throw 'em in the Fellmuth pit with the Blundertails!'

Blather shook his head, but Blither took no notice and grinned at the dragons hungrily. 'Let me soften you up first!'

He rushed forward to swing at Cynder, but she stopped him in his tracks with a burst of Fear breath at his face. He recoiled briefly, but shut his ears quickly, and still snarling, advanced again.

Blather reluctantly unsheathed his sword to back up his comrade. Spyro moved to block his way as Cynder dodged another of Blither's blows, sending him stumbling forward through the pile of cages, causing the Armadillos to moan in distress.

Cynder eyed Blither angrily, their treatment of her years before racing back through her head. She couldn't help but smile with satisfaction at having the chance to fight back, after three years.

'Cynder, try not to – '

'I know, I know.' Cynder sighed. She couldn't kill him... but she could fight back.

'C'mere!'

She easily dodged Blither again, who bashed his head into the mast, causing the ship to sway ever so slightly. She laughed out loud; this guy was as dumb as he looked.

'You c'mere, snake!'

Blither snarled as he chased her around the mast repeatedly, not taking the hint that she could move as she pleased in circles around the blundering warrior. She began to grow bored; removing this guy without killing him was going to be a problem. She eyed the next broken post; an idea forming in her head.

'Hey, moron!' she taunted as she began backpedalling toward the post. 'I heard those tiny mongrels insulting you before! Like how your brain's smaller than theirs!'

Blither simply growled at her in response, hastening his steps.

Cynder let him chase her around the new post a few times before she leapt up onto it, and as he swiped to grab her, she launched off his arm and put him in a strangle-hold with her tail. She let out a continuous stream of Fear breath into his face, which caused his eyes to widen painfully despite trying to shut the sound out.

Sparx eyed them, strangely fascinated by the sight.

Cynder, once Blither had been disoriented enough, jumped off and circled around the post, ramming it with her side, before it cracked heavily and collapsed right on Blither's head.

Spyro and Blather, still eyeing each other warily, stared over at the sight. 'Cynder!'

'Relax.' She eyed the fallen Skavenger, knocked out cold by the blow, the post split in half. 'He'll be up and about in a few hours.'

Blather stared at her open-mouthed, but didn't seem like he was completely surprised. 'Uh... I didn't want to fight! You saw, right?'

Spyro nodded. 'I know. We don't want more trouble than necessary... Blather. So please, can you take us to Snotty?'

Blather still looked confused as to what to do, scratching his head as he thought it over. 'Snotty sent use here on orders to destroy the intruders... but he doesn't know that the intruders are dragons... but he'll be mad if he does want them dead... and then he'll make me walk the plank...' He shuddered.

The dragons examined him in confusion. Was he really that scared of the captain?

While they stood there, they were interrupted again by scuttling and shuffling. Then, the limb crab from before edged over the deck, ignoring the dragons and Skavengers as it crawled towards the aft. From the trapdoor, a whole platoon of leaders and soldiers emerged, and stared blankly at the scene before them.

'Dragons! Get'm!'

'Urgh!'

Cynder groaned heavily as they quickly backed up against the edge of the ship. With nowhere to go, and no way to fight without killing against a whole platoon, she and Spyro dove off the edge, Sparx speeding forward in an attempt to keep up. As several leaders aimed their muskets up at them, Talon slammed into the back of their heads, beating them with his claws for a moment before taking off after them.

Cynder couldn't help but glare at Spyro's back as he took the lead towards the Arena ship. 'Is there any way to talk sense with these guys?'

* * *

Volteer and Solaris had made quite a lot of progress over the next hours. With Volteer's energy, especially, they combed the entire left wall until they reached a dead end, resting at a square platform marked with several Fear columns nearby, which they ignored. Though they'd only recovered several scrolls, even this amount excited Volteer to no end. Solaris doubted whether they'd be able to decipher anything, as any runes she found were meaningless without greater context. Several cut words meant nothing unless the sentence is sufficiently filled in. On the platform they now stood on, Volteer was examining a stone tablet covered by moss and dirt; he'd only found it when Solaris noticed the corner poking out as she lit the nearest torch. She now sat impatiently, as she thought she heard footsteps under the stone platform and inside the walls. She couldn't shake the feeling they would have company soon.

'Well?' she called stiffly, still looking around. 'Is this one incomprehensible like the others?'

Volteer didn't immediately answer. 'Hm... no... but this is... hm.. and if that...'

Solaris groaned to herself. How could he not feel the skittering sounds all around him? _He must get lost in his work. Bad timing..._

Another minute passed, and Solaris was beginning to fidget.

'Are you done yet? Can we not take a charcoal copy on a scroll and move on? We've been here too long...'

'Relax, my dear. We'll have to sleep at least one night down here.'

Solaris just stared at him. _What? Is he serious?_

'What about the Shadows? What if they attack us?'

Volteer continued probing the tablet. 'That's why we take turns on watch.' He muttered to himself for a few more moments, then nodded to do as she suggested; laying a thin sheet of paper rather than leatherbark, and with some difficulty managed to scrape charcoal over it and the tablet to make a text copy. As he finished, wrapping the scroll and turning to her, she eyed him expectantly. 'Well? What was so important that you went silent for a while?'

'Training techniques!' Volteer blurted happily. 'The foremost discovery is that the Ancestors used conduit mechanisms to power their training dummies, meaning any teachers wouldn't necessarily need to be present for training, and that students could use them to train themselves at their leisure!'

Solaris' brow rose in surprise; something like that would be quite useful to a dragon like her, not to mention the other students currently under Volteer's care.

'How do they work?'

Volteer glanced around as he continued talking, not being able to keep his face still. 'Different conduits were used for each element. For electricity, a special metal construct was used, stuck in the middle of a training ground, and if enough electric energy was projected into it, nearby dummies would automatically activate and fight any moving objects not one of them in their vicinity. They would also automatically deactivate once their magical energy storage was spent. If we could find even one...!'

'What about the other elements?' Solaris asked hopefully. 'Like fire, for example?'

Volteer's demeanour fell a little. 'Well... the tablet didn't mention the specific materials required for the other elements, unfortunately. This will take some thought... fire conduit, hmm...' As he gazed upwards in thought, he sighed heavily. 'Ignitus... were you here to help...'

'Ignitus?' Solaris repeated curiously. 'Was he an old friend?'

'Yes... lost to the war, for Spyro and Cynder's sake.'

When he didn't say more – something uncharacteristic of him, Solaris nodded respectfully. 'I see... My condolences.' She tried to think of what could be used to store fire energy, as this "Ignitus" must have been the previous fire guardian.

_Metal conducts electricity, apparently... what conducts fire? Metal as well, but if exposed to too much heat, it would melt, and wouldn't be a stable conduit for training...around the volcano, what materials did we ever find? After one eruption, we found some crystals left exposed, surviving the lava flow over it...diamond?_

'Volteer? Would carbon crystals... such as diamond... absorb heat as a conduit?'

The electric Guardian simply stared at her. 'Why, I never...! How did you think of that? I never would have guessed...' He smiled with approval. 'We'll have to take it up with Mason when we return. He would know of how to do such a thing.'

Solaris couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied with herself. If she could help the other dragons train and get stronger, then she'd already have improved the lives of these dragons – something the other magma dragons wouldn't have cared about. And that satisfied her greatly.

Then they both froze; a light chuckle echoed through the floor, followed by many more behind it. The sound of scuttling gradually rose until the sound was right underneath them.

'Shadows.' Volteer spoke shortly, bracing himself. 'Prepare to defend yourself! Shadow extermination is another objective here.'

Solaris examined him for a moment, before taking a deep breath. He sounded pretty confident, so the Shadows must not be that strong. She lowered her head defensively, following the sounds to the surface. _Let's see what this enemy looks like._

Out of the indent from which they pulled the stone tablet, a pair of glowing green eyes appeared, bobbing around unnaturally. As the creature leapt out and eyed them curiously, a skeletal form shrouded in dark magic was brought into the light. The sight unnerved her a little, but she quickly snapped out of it as a dozen or so similar creatures spilled out.

Volteer immediately loosed a chain beam that stunned half of them in their tracks, and he caught one to crush it underfoot before it recovered. He swatted the rest over the side of the platform with a wing and tail, though they quickly latched back on and climbed back up.

The rest sped toward Solaris in a line, and she spewed a stream of blue flame as the first neared her. Their screams were sudden and loud, catching her off guard, as the charred remains of bones fell before her. Those that survived faltered at the sight of fire, but regained their confidence as more Shadows gathered behind them.

_There are too many!_

Volteer raised his wings and beat them down suddenly in one swift motion, causing a gust of air that stunned the nearby Shadows long enough for him to take off. Just out of their reach, he began firing off bursts of electricity as they hastened to climb after him, even attempting to jump off the platform in an effort to cling onto him.

Taking the hint, Solaris swatted aside several undead in her way as she charged through them to dive off the edge. As she pulled out of her dive, she turned and aimed at the corner of the platform, where many Shadows gathered in an attempt to catch her. Gathering energy, she spat out a concentrated burst of magic, releasing a fire bomb which sent stone and Shadow flying in every direction.

'Good! Keep it up!' Volteer voiced.

With the advantage in the air, it was a simple matter of dropping whenever the Shadows got close enough to leap at them. After a while, the Shadows gave up and the few survivors retreated back into the hole from which they came. Despite the ease of the fight, both dragons felt drained at the loss of energy, and quickly sought out an energy crystal on the other side of the stone platform.

After they'd both recharged, Solaris eyed Volteer questioningly. 'How do you expect to exterminate them if they keep running away like that?'

Volteer simply shrugged. 'We can only do so much. They cannot breed, obviously, so it's only a matter of time before they're removed from here for good. Of course, that depends on how many Apes were turned into such nuisances in the first place...'

'How many do you guess were part of Malefor's army?'

Volteer shook his head solemnly. '... Thousands, at least. The battles I participated in only told me that the Apes' strategy is to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers.'

Solaris frowned to herself, remembering the first class she had with Volteer, and her thoughts on the Guardian dragon race. 'Is that how they defeated you?'

Volteer shook his head, unsure. 'I'm... afraid I don't know. The loss of the leaders, combined with the low morale of our people at the time, proved too much for us. We... weren't strong enough, at a critical time, and our peoples payed for it.'

Solaris studied him for a moment. 'Don't let it affect you. What's important is that you learn from your mistakes.'

Volteer was silent for a moment. '...Were that so many lived long enough to learn.'

Solaris grimaced coldly. _How long are they going to dwell on this? _'Focus on here and now, and how we can help future generations, Volteer. There's no point to... this.'

Volteer slowly nodded, perking his head up. 'Yes... of course, you're right. If we can find more about what happened in the past, then we can learn how to avoid it. Very well... where to next...' He began to examine the area around them. Solaris had lit most torches in the area, and he spotted a small stone platform on the outside wall below them. As his gaze ran along it, another wall of carvings shone in the flickering light.

'Ah! Another area... let's go!'

Solaris followed him without a word as they glided down, carefully finding their footing as the platform was thinner and less stable than the main level. Most of the wall was covered in vines and moss, which made it even harder to find any runes of any sort. As they went along, Volteer became increasingly excited.

'It seems this area was made by an Earth dragon, but alone... and not all at once.' He peered at the thick cubic blocks arranged side by side, irregularly spaced from the wall, as if the Earth dragon didn't bother checking their uniformity, just moving the blocks out enough to create a stable platform. Solaris also noticed strange marks on all of them: the stone's upper surface was not one colour, but many shades of grey starting and stopping irregularly. They both edged along carefully, as they didn't want to dislodge anything, lest the whole platform collapse.

'That Earth dragon did a poor job, then.' Solaris observed. 'No wonder there isn't much here. They didn't even push the blocks all the way out in one go.'

Volteer shook his head, smile never leaving his face. 'There must be a reason for this. The Ancestors' training ground had many centuries of construction time – this construct must have been made after they finished. Can't you feel it, Solaris? There is a concentrated source of energy nearby – perhaps an elemental conduit! We must find it, my dear.'

Solaris frowned, quickly trying to pinpoint the energy source. It took a moment, but she did sense something... strange. It was like an energy crystal, but didn't project its magic at all, hiding it away, like its magic was sealed from the world.

'I feel it... but I have no idea where to look.' Solaris growled. 'I can't sense anything apart from the fact it's there.'

Volteer nodded. 'That is understandable, of course – you are yet young. Though it's strange – I can tell it's of the Earth Element. Don't magma dragons have Earth powers?'

Solaris nodded impatiently. 'Yes, but I told you – I don't have those powers.'

'Ah yes. My apologies.'

Volteer stopped and turned around, prompting Solaris to duck out his way as he edged along, still searching for the seal. As they moved, Solaris tried to focus as well, but like she predicted, moving didn't change her perception of the energy source. She sighed as she followed Volteer.

They went back and forth a few times, before Volteer finally stopped on what seemed the largest part of the platform. He touched the wall with his paw repeatedly, not bothering to use his eyes to feel the energy. Then suddenly, one block lit up with the bright green sigil of the Earth Element, and he exclaimed happily.

'Yes, I've got it! Come, Solaris.'

He pressed down on the block, and the grinding of rock signalled a hidden door opening very close by. Volteer hurried forward along the platform around a corner, gesturing for Solaris to follow. 'A hidden stone vault!'

Solaris felt brief excitement flash through her as she saw Volteer's large yellow body disappear with a flick of his tail into the wall, and she hurried forward. The wall had opened, somehow with only the blocks inside sliding inwards, purely on magical energy. _Energy still lingering, after so many centuries...?_

'Volteer?'

She called to him, but he was simply standing in the middle of a large, closed square room, lit by a single energy crystal growing in the corner. There was almost nothing in it, except, of course, large sheets of leatherbark with lines and lines of small runes all over them. Some were even legible from where they were standing. Solaris smiled to herself; Volteer was dumbstruck with joy.

'We found–'

She gave his tail a sharp tug, growling a warning. 'Quiet! Those Shadows are still out there. You want them to destroy these writings?'

Volteer, wide-eyed, shook his head silently, which visibly took some effort on his part. He inhaled and exhaled a few times. 'Yes, yes, calm down... Must save them...'

Solaris waited until he stopped trembling with excitement, before she began to inspect the first sheet. She read the first few lines, and her jaw dropped.

'Volteer, this is... someone's personal accounts...'

'A primary source...?' Volteer echoed in disbelief. 'This is incredible! Far more valuable than even a conduit! This could reveal much about the Ancestors and their methods of training. This room... could be a secret hideaway for one of the Ancestral Earth dragons!'

Together, they gently pried one leatherbark sheet from the vertical pile and managed to lay it flat on the floor. Despite its age, this leatherbark was still flexible enough not to crumble from their touch. As they stood side by side, they were both eager to read through, as most runes were clear and legible, and those that were not were simply filled in with too much dust, and could be cleaned out if they got them back to Warfang. This first one had enough text for them to read it, and understand its contents. The writing itself seemed untidy, and larger than necessary – almost reminding them of Cynder's learning to write.

_It has been... days, and I've never seen something... grand. Mother and ... are so proud that I was chosen. A Paragon, named... the first dragons. This must be because I caused a small fire, ... being an Earth dragon. Father was ... mad, but that all seems forgiven now. I miss them... they tell me once my training... complete, I can see them again, but our people's future comes first. That ... my main reason for trying so hard. The... are so strange, so ... alien. Yet I can sense they ... my abilities, as they train me faster than any other. They ... speak of the war, but I don't want to hear about suffering and death. I need to ... if I want to see Mother and Father again._

Solaris blinked in surprise. _Someone that could use Fire and Earth? And they chose him to be a "Paragon"? Maybe Magma dragons were once part of the Guardian race..._

'Volteer, is this a magma dragon?' Solaris voiced. 'Perhaps the first?'

Volteer shrugged, still containing his excitement. 'I am unsure, but it's a possibility! It all depends on when your people seceded from ours, and whether that was before or after the construction of this room...'

The sheet before them now finished, they gently slid it to the other side of the room. Volteer combed through the others, rolling up those that were too covered in dust, until he found another that they could read sufficiently. He lay it down, and they began reading. This time, the writing was clean, and made full use of all the available space, with more runes ingrained on the page.

_Father is ... They attacked the nearby valley, swarming our people with sheer numbers. Father couldn't get away. I arrived too late. Even ... I managed to kill at least a dozen, now with my training nearing its end. I couldn't see him... he was dying when I found him, and ... poison finished the job. I managed to save a resident named Wylthera along with her extended family, but too many still died. If only ... of the wind was better. I could have ... here first. I could have saved the ... . I could have saved Father._

_Those wyverns must pay for this. The Ancients still believe we have won, but they weren't there – among the corpses, among the smell of blood and destroyed land. I ... shake the feeling, like that land itself is screaming... me. What is ... is that not even my fellow Earth dragons felt the ... way. How could the Ancients be so confident? I have questioned ... repeatedly, but they answer only ... riddles. So many fellow warriors look up to them, and despite their inaction, their ineptitude on the front lines, they follow orders. Do they even care ... us? Or do they only serve ..._

_But... don't need to follow orders. I only ... to save as many as I can, and get ... enough to do so. Even if the ... don't understand staring into your ... dead face, I do. _

_Electric – I must ... it, in order to pick those creatures out of ... sky._

Solaris and Volteer both fell silent even as they finished. _Electric... Wind. I__t must be... a purple dragon. Malefor._

They both shifted warily; suddenly they were concerned there were hidden traps in the room, or that Apes or powerful Shadows would break through the wall and attack at any moment. After they froze for several seconds, still nothing came.

'Malefor... this was his room?' Solaris questioned in disbelief. 'You'd think he'd be given a much better and larger dormitory, if he was their "Paragon" or whatever he was.'

Volteer, surprisingly, didn't smile or say anything.

'Volteer?'

He just hung his head tiredly. '...I must see if there are any more. But this is... troubling...'

'Why?'

The question was far more difficult than she posed it. Volteer sighed as he turned over what he and the Guardians knew about their Ancestors; what little there was. Once again, Ignitus knew the most, but despite Volteer's questioning of him in the past, he either didn't know their history or didn't divulge it. _Just what was he hiding? If anything..._

'The Ancestors... we've only ever venerated them. Respected, worshipped, even... and yet, these accounts paint them as unsympathetic rulers, using the dragon race as thralls of war.'

Solaris frowned to herself. 'There's not enough information here to confirm that. Those missing words may have twisted the real message. Not to mention Malefor himself most likely wrote these.'

'But he would have no reason to lie about this... in this hidden lair, most likely away from the Ancients' eyes, along with his trainers and fellow warriors whom he didn't get along with... Were the Ancients simply ignorant or unaware of what they were doing? And those who followed them seemed blind to this... All except Malefor...'

Solaris groaned heavily. 'You're assuming too much, Volteer. Over half of these writings we haven't even seen. Wait until we've returned to Warfang, and properly deciphered these sheets, before making assumptions about the past. This is only one viewpoint, Volteer. It's important that we try to find others in these ruins. So don't lose your head!'

Volteer couldn't help but smile to himself. The way she spoke... it reminded him of Cyril, chastising him like usual. To think, a Guardian being scolded by a foreign child...

Solaris didn't react to his smile, only waited for his answer.

'Ah... I suppose you caught me there, my dear.' He eyed the remaining sheets, before looking around the room again for other items. Then, his body suddenly sagged, and he realised he'd been knotted up throughout the entire documentation, and he groaned lightly.

'Uh... yes. I seem to have forgotten what time it is. We've been combing around for a long time... but it doesn't feel as such.' He grinned to himself. 'Time flies when you're having fun, indeed...'

_Fun? _Solaris shook her head in slight disbelief, but stood resolute as Volteer began to clear a space on the stone floor. Despite its age, the residual magic left over by its previous occupants gave the area an ethereal warmth; even Solaris began to feel slightly drowsy, but Volteer had been over-exerting himself in his excitement.

'I'll take the first watch then, Volteer.' As she made for the door, she glanced back at Volteer, who was already curling himself up. 'Will you be safe here?'

Volteer yawned widely before answering. 'We... we'll be better off in a hidden place like this. So long as we don't attract too much... attention. And you don't wander off.'

'Of course I won't wander off. I'm not an idiot.'

Satisfied, Volteer rested his head and closed his eyes. Solaris stood guard by the entrance, not wanting to even poke her head out for fear of being spotted. She groaned as she predicted the outcome of her turn.

_If he doesn't shut up... not only will the Shadows find us... I won't get any sleep either. Feh._

* * *

Spyro, Cynder, Sparx and Talon were forced to keep their distance as all nearby ships began to bombard them with constant waves of cannonballs. After the first group of Skavengers rose a black flag, all ships within sight sent similar signals, sending the fleet into a frenzy in order to shoot them down. Using his instinctive pathfinding abilities, Sparx managed to get his three companions to a safe distance... which happened to be hovering between three ships closing in on them.

'Ugh...' Sparx tiredly led them upwards until the cannonballs could no longer reach them. But the air was thin, and Spyro, Cynder and Talon wouldn't be able to stay up here for long.

'What do we do?' Cynder wondered breathlessly. 'Now the plan is falling apart, Spyro... we somehow riled them all up without even trying.'

Spyro didn't immediately answer, but scanned the skyscape below them. The largest ship, the one he spotted on the way in, was in sight. If they could only reach the captain... he needed to at least try to talk with him.

'We should... get to the captain's ship.' He breathed. 'Then we can try and talk...'

'What, by bludgeoning his bodyguards to death?' Sparx grunted.

Spyro sighed. 'If we have to, Sparx.'

As they gave him confused glances, the purple dragon felt a little guilty. Their mission wasn't the only reason he wanted to find the captain – he felt he needed answers about the Elraith, as if he knew it was connected to Convexity. And he felt bad that Sparx and Cynder were now in danger because of him. Not to mention Talon seemingly stayed alongside them without complaint, despite the situation.

Sparx took a deep breath, surveying the closest path down towards the ship. He spotted the closest cannons on two of the battleships' aft side, contained on a large deck at the front of the ship. 'OK... follow me. This could get messy.'

Sparx sped down as fast as he could, as the three other fliers glided down steadily to match his speed. The dragonfly led them down between the lower decks of the ships as fast as he could, before ascending high again out of range of the pursuing ships. Strangely enough, the captain's ship wasn't moving, but several cannons on the main deck were pointing up at them. Sparx glanced around the deck, but it was equally full of cannons with no openings for them to approach.

'Well, that's it then.' Sparx pointed out the cannons. 'This is the closest we can get without getting face full of cannonball. Take your pick, Spyro.'

Spyro glanced around at them remorsefully. 'You... you guys don't have to come with me, you know. I can go alone, and you three can escape...'

They simply stared.

'Are you kidding me!?' Cynder exclaimed in disbelief. 'I told you that I'd stay with you! I signed on for this mission too! Don't you forget it.'

Sparx nodded at her. 'I'm coming too, Spyro. I'm not letting you leave me behind... ever again!'

Spyro smiled gratefully, and exhaled in preparation as they eyed the massive ship below them. To get to the main deck, then break through to the captain's cabin... or wherever he was. And if they took too long, reinforcements from the other ships would eventually surround them, and they would be forced to fight their way out. If such a thing happened, their mission would most likely be a failure, in any case.

'We have to try, Spyro.' Cynder seemed to read his expression. 'We can't go home empty handed.'

'Alright...' Spyro rotated his shoulders in an attempt to stretch his back muscles. 'Let's go.' He pointed at his horns, and Sparx hastily hooked himself between them, holding on for dear life. Talon crowed, as if declaring war.

They dived.

The slight mist cleared quickly as they passed through, and the cannons began to fire, though they couldn't hear the signals due to the wind in their ears. They reacted instinctively to avoid the volleys, using their previous experience with the Destroyer to guide themselves between the black projectiles. But once they were within eyesight of the cannoneers, they witnessed a strange sight.

A Skavenger the side of a leader was waving his arms and screaming at the troops on the deck, sending them all running around hastily in confusion. This only seemed to anger him more, prompting the angry canine to grab the nearest soldier by the scruff of the neck and shove him into the nearest cannon just before it fired, sending the poor pirate plummeting to his death. The troops quickly fell silent, and were standing still in a somewhat orderly manner by the time the quadruplet fliers came close to landing. That first leader waved his arms up at them, but not in a hostile manner. It seemed he wanted to talk to them, as they heard his yelling when slowed to a glide.

''Ey! Ya Skylubbers, come down 'ere, will ya? I much be needin' a word with ya.' As they hesitated, now hovering in the air, he gave a quick glance to the formed troops behind them. 'Ya don' need to worry 'bout them. My display 'dere shut 'em up good.'

'Why should we trust you?' Cynder yelled defensively. 'You'll just make them attack us when we land!'

The leader frowned, and then grinned devilishly. 'Ya want me to send 'em all overboard? It'd be a right jolly show!'

This quickly caused a unanimous shiver among the troops. Spyro quickly shook his head. 'No! We'll cooperate.'

Despite his words, the three landed at the far end of the deck, not too close to the edge, and not too close to the Skavenger. Sparx cleared his throat as he unstuck himself from Spyro's horns. 'Now what–'

'You killed your comrade.' Spyro growled loudly, to which the Leader only smirked. 'You didn't need to do that!'

The Skavenger was dressed differently than the other Leaders they'd encountered so far. While possessing the same grey fur under his armour, he wore black garments and blue-painted armour pieces on his shoulders and paws. His eyepatch was pushed back from his eyes, both beady black eyes studying the new arrivals. The canine laughed with a raspy edge. 'Heh! I'd be more grateful, if I was you. A bit o' force is all 'dese here idiots understand when goin' crazy.' He took his long rapier and stabbed it in the ground with both paws, prompting a few whimpers from the small crowd. 'A dumb pirate bein' an eckspendable pirate! They know 'dis well.'

'Dumb?' Spyro echoed, wanting to understand why this pirate was even talking instead of shooting.

'They be misint-er-pret-ing me orders! I told 'em to destroy 'dem eel ghosts if they found 'em! Well, they found ya, it seems, and thought _you _were the ghosts! Curse them idiots who manage to lose an eye in 'dere first year!'

Cynder sighed impatiently, as they stepped forward, tired of raising their voices to talk. 'OK, fine. You're not going to attack us. So what do you want with us? Where's the captain!?'

The canine tilted his head obliviously, before grinning widely, a crazy look in his eyes. 'Eh? And 'ere I thought you Skylubbers were all smarty!' He stepped forward with surprising speed, holding out his left hook towards Spyro. 'The name be Snotty da pirate dog! Pleased to meetcha!'


	11. Merry Mayhem

Chapter 10

Merry Mayhem

* * *

Spyro stared at Snotty in surprise, if only because a Skavenger was being even somewhat friendly. He glanced down at the hook awkwardly, as Snotty quickly retracted it and skimmed it fondly with his rapier.

'Ah... 'dat woulda been a bloody handshake, ain't it?' He tipped his hat courteously. 'Now shall we–'

He narrowed his eyes as the rest of the Skavengers began to surround the intruding party. Talon squawked indignantly when a leader nearly trampled on him, perching warily on Spyro's horns, as they were so close in a ring that he couldn't fly out.

'What do you dogs think you're doing!?' Cynder hissed in annoyance. 'Back off.'

Several of the Leaders sniggered. 'We gotcha now! Snotty 'ere drew ya in good. Now let's waste 'em an–'

He was cut off by a small soldier flying into his face, prompting those closest to back away slightly as Snotty shook his hook huffily in an arc in front of him.

'Yeh idiots! Dese Skylubbers be more useful than yous at this point! We be havin' a conversation! Go back to scrubbin' the decks, 'fore I roast yeh and feed yeh to dat there bird!'

As the rabble dispersed, Snotty eyed a spilt bottle at their feet before taking a greedy swig from it. All but several leaders immediately scurried away and returned to their posts, some quite obviously pretending to look busy just to eavesdrop, and Talon hopped off of Spyro's head to land on the deck, still watching the canines warily. However, one Commander and three Leaders remained, quite clearly annoyed and confused.

'But boss! If we don' round them up, dey could torch the whole fleet! Yeh don' remember that little dragon years ago!?'

Snotty and the party just eyed him flatly for a moment, before Spyro spoke up. 'Uh... that was me.'

The Commander just tilted his head as he examined the teenage dragon. 'Eh? But that one was smaller.'

Snotty sighed heavily, drinking the rest of his bottle up, before hurling it at the Commander's face without warning, smashing it to pieces, though it didn't do any more than knock his hat off.

'Wort, go cook me a bloatfish. I don' want ya hurting that head of yours thinking about anythin' else! Got it?'

Wort just grumbled as he rubbed his head and lumbered away, the other leaders casting them wary glances as they followed him into a jutting door to the main cabin. Snotty twisted his neck tiredly as he addressed the party one more time.

'Now if there be no more interruptin'...' He raised his arms a little. 'Welcome to the Fellmuth, the largest ship in the fleet! Now what be yer business ere, Skylubbers?'

After absorbing their surroundings, Spyro could see he spoke the truth. The deck they were on was less than half the length of the whole ship; the middle portion was contained in a large depression obscured by the large wooden cabin to their right that led below deck. From the many flags poking upwards and out, he guessed the Arena was contained in the middle of the ship, exposed to the sky. Spyro examined the large canine, trying to figure out if he was playing them. While he could gauge a general feel from Solaris and Alaia before, he couldn't tell what this creature was thinking at all. _Must be a dragon thing..._

He cleared his throat nervously, as he didn't want Snotty to lose his temper again. 'We came here for answers. We found one of your destroyed ships on our land, and we searched it to assess the threat. But... the thing that attacked your ship escaped north, so we pursued your fleet to find out what it was and what happened.'

Snotty raised a furry eyebrow. 'Hmm? Yeh tellin' me yah risked death and dismemberment over info? Don't play me a fool, lad. I not be like dat blundertail Wort.'

As Spyro hesitated, Cynder stepped forward, eyeing him determinedly. 'We've also come to see you Skavengers answer for your crimes during the Deep War.'

Snotty nodded, as if she confirmed his suspicions. 'Aye. But yeh be barkin' down the wrong tree, lass. We ain't goin' nowhere with that eel ghost still roamin' out there.'

Spyro was surprised at his reaction. 'So you might consider a trial of some sort if that... eel ghost is destroyed?'

'A trial!' Snotty grimaced thoughtfully. 'Now dat'd be somethin' to see! Even if I bein' the criminal to be hanged on a post.'

Spyro quickly shook his head. 'The Guardians of Warfang don't normally execute criminals...'

Cynder groaned sharply. 'You're that willing to own up to the mistakes of your Skavengers? Why should we believe this isn't some trick? Skavengers have never been tried properly, as you've always escaped and slipped away before you can be locked up. Tell us something first, Snotty. Are you aware of the crimes we're talking about? And what exactly are you willing to do in the interest of a trial?'

Snotty didn't seem taken aback despite her impatient tone, instead tapping his skull a few times with the curved side of his hook. 'Yer... really puttin' me on the spot there, lass. Mayhaps we go to my cabin? Don' want these slippery little buggers spreadin' lies 'bout nothing I've said.'

He began to move to the blocky building where Wort went before. Sparx, who had been silent the whole time, grumbled to himself.

'This whole thing feels wrong, Spyro.' He sighed. 'But we got here without dying, so I suppose this couldn't hurt any more than that.'

Cynder nodded in agreement. 'Yes, but I'm not going to stop watching them. There's just something... off-putting about Skavengers.'

'I know, Cynder,' Spyro began. 'But Snotty is the best chance for a diplomatic solution, so try not to hurt or kill any of them unless you're defending yourself.'

'I can hear ya, ya know!'

Spyro cleared his throat as Snotty waited for them outside the dark entrance to the ship's lower levels. 'OK, we'll come along for now, Snotty.'

* * *

As Cynder anticipated, moving among the Skavengers crew proved a very tense journey for the party. Talon was forced to hop awkwardly after them, while Sparx exchanged childish quips with the small soldiers on occasion, sticking their tongues and making faces before stopping under Spyro and Snotty's annoyed glances. Cynder's hostile pose discouraged even the Commanders from trying to stop them, especially after Snotty's display above deck. The sight was slightly familiar to Spyro and Sparx, who explored it on their own, while Cynder was content to follow Spyro's lead as he followed Snotty. After Skabb's reign, there seemed to be more works of art hung around in the larger rooms, along with the supply crates being stacked more neatly and rugs placed to give the rooms a homely feel. Some of the rugs and paintings were clearly out of place – including an incredibly detailed painting in an entrance hall one storey below, of a lush landscape in the midst of a thunderstorm, with an enormous flowing animal flying through the air, camouflaged against the dark sky. They stopped to study it for a moment, before Snotty urged them by scraping his hook against the wall. They wondered if the painting was stolen from the moles as well.

Snotty led them further down the winding halls of the level, passing by several cell rooms filled with treasure chests, before they climbed a set of loose wooden steps to emerge in a large, round room.

Spyro and Sparx remembered this room back when it was on fire, but it seemed that Snotty had turned it around and repaired all the damage. There were still large gaps in the edges, where Snotty had filled it with food, trash or treasure, along with the large desk and chair which towered over all of them, clearly not made for Snotty's size. That much was obvious as he sat down, immediately biting into a ridiculously large, half-eaten drumstick on the table, handling it with some difficulty. Perched on top of the chair, however, was an unwelcome sight, landing as Snotty sat down.

'Oh, how wonderful. It's the riff-raff again.'

The sombre, mocking tone of Scratch the chirrup echoed down on them. Sparx immediately curled up his fists at the one-eyed, condescending gaze.

'You!'

The orange bird simply stared down at them with the condescension of a stuck-up nobleman. 'Snotty, what business do you have inviting such lowly guests? These fools were responsible for the near destruction of our fleet.' When Snotty didn't respond, he turned around to address the labouring Wort to their right, attempting to build a fire. 'Commander, remove these vermin, if you pl–'

Snotty simply grabbed his chair to rock it back and forth violently, shaking the chirrup off. 'I told yeh, Scratchy; I be givin' the orders, not you! Now sort my clothes already! I can see ya haven't finished, yeh lazy pigeon.'

Scratch simply glared down at the captain for a moment before backing towards the window, adopting a clearly sick look as he eyed the pile of grimy rags which Snotty had created over quite a while. Sparx managed to grin at the sight, while Spyro and Cynder stood focused on Snotty, who waved another drumstick at them.

'Eh, yeh wanna bite? Premium gian' chicken drumstick, plundered from the coffers of lion boys across the sea!'

Cynder stepped forward and sniffed with interest, but Spyro shook his head. 'Sorry, but we'd rather not stay here longer than necessary. Now, can you tell us what happened?'

Snotty wrinkled his furry face with slight disappointment, still chewing the meat. 'Aw... whya so serious? Eh, fine... some o' you skylubbers be so business-ey. So!' He finished his mouthful and scowled. 'Twas' a dark day for da Fellmuth dogs, and a stormy night it was. We just landed a hearty pile of meat from da lions, when I turned our bows toward da dragon's shores! Dat big war o'yours be nasty business, but dese here birds...' He jerked his head back towards Scratch, '...told me dat it be over! Then all dose ruins and spoils o' war got my tongue waggin', shall we say. After many days an' nights o' sailin', dem mast watchers spotted land! But that blasted eel ghost came chargin' out o' the night from your shores, wailin' its head away! Our ears be too sensitive, ya see. By the time we had it in our sights, it was close enough to split our wee eardrums. 'Den... it disappeared on us.'

Spyro opened his mouth questioningly, but Snotty continued uninterrupted.

'I had da fleet delay explorin' da dragon kingdom, for a day. 'Den... arr lead scout ship went silent. No signals, no voices, and dem stupid birds wouldn't go an' look.'

'I heard that...'

Snotty turned to throw his cleanly scrapped bone at the indignant Scratch, earning a strange hiss from him as it missed. 'Shut it!' He quickly regained his composure and continued.

'Well, I led a hearty crew o' half o' dozen commanders and twen-ey leaders. Dey be scared, but I knew we couldn' 'ave a fully haunted ship followin' the fleet. Dat's what's strange... it moved just like normal, even as we boarded...'

'Da halls were empty, our treasure still there, but some of arr crystals just... dead. Not smashed, or stolen. Even aye got da shivers. But then...' He grumbled uncomfortably, which struck Spyro as odd considering that it was more embarrassed than scared. '... Aye had to take my leave. Uh... the shivers took me, it did. Aye left the blockhead brothers, Blither and Blather, in command.' He sighed. 'Ugh. Even now aye can't get a full story out of 'em. But only 'alf of me boys returned. Lost hands, and we had to leave the ship behind... where aye guessed it ended up in your wee forest, eh?'

Spyro, Cynder and Sparx pondered, as Talon perched where Scratch just was, earning a glare from Wort and Scratch.

'Half...' Spyro repeated, turning the story over in his head. 'Terrador said they only found a few bodies, and three commanders they had to kill. Either they didn't find them, or those Skavengers escaped into the forest before they got there.'

Cynder eyed Snotty warily as he stared at them. 'We're... sorry for the loss of your crew.'

Snotty nodded slowly. 'Aye. And dose piles of chests stored away...' He gazed at the ceiling longingly. 'Yah... wouldn't happen to know where da ship is, would ya? I'd... like to get me treasure back...'

Cynder groaned with annoyance. 'Oh, so the crew's lives means nothing to you? Just the treasure?'

Snotty just answered with a shrug of the shoulders. 'Ey, if they want to frolic in da forest rather than plunderin', they can do what they want. Aye only want da best pirates in da fleet... which'll take a while yet to thin out the real idiots from the real pirates like dis' dolt Wort 'ere.'

Cynder tensed as she edged closer. 'You're a real coward, abandoning crew members, then not owning up to the responsibility when they die–'

Sparx buzzed right in her face, stopping her in her tracks with his warning gestures. 'Hey hey, Cynder, let's not anger the captain while his entire ship is still intact this time. We've still got a job to do, here.'

Snotty growled. 'Ya be wise to listen to da bug, lass. Don't try me patience – or call me a coward.'

As Cynder raised a brow questioningly, Spyro nodded in agreement. 'So, if we help you deal with the... eel ghost, will you return to Warfang and return the stolen goods?'

Snotty grinned thoughtfully, but didn't move. '... mayhaps, dragon. But first a lil' business be in order.. with me, you, and your debt to us.' As they froze cautiously, he leaned forward to rest his chin on his hook. 'Yah didn't forget dat you offed Skabb? While he may've been a mute, predictable an' incompetent captain, you caused the fleet a lot o' trouble for the next few years. All dat work I did, scraping together a repair crew, breakin' down some o' arr older ships to patch up da new ones, dat was because of you... an' dose cursed Apes.' He sighed lightly. 'Ah well, at least we hadn't 'eard a peep from 'em since. But you...' He raised his hook towards Spyro, a dangerous glint in his eye. 'The fleet – an' I – demand satisfaction, dragon!'

Cynder edged around between the two. 'You're not laying a hook on him, dog. Your people locked us up like animals, like we were nothing. What right do you have...'

'Wait, Cynder.' Spyro eyed Snotty with determination, noting the lack of deception in his gaze. 'What exactly do you want with me, Snotty?'

'A match – to prove your honour. You an' me, in the Arena.' He pressed his hook and paw together. 'If ya win, I swear on a pirate's oath to own up to Skabb's crimes, so long as ya own up to yours by helping us. If ya lose... we get to lock ya up, and make ya fight in the arena till dem boys be satisfied.'

Cynder immediately bristled with anger. 'Never!'

Spyro, however, was inclined to accept. Those were unexpectedly fair choices, coming from a Skavenger. 'Is that all, Snotty?'

As the pirate nodded slowly, he contemplated his options. _I beat Skabb when I was small. He had that massive sword, while I doubt Snotty here could even lift it. As dangerous as he could be, I should be more than a match for him. Cynder and I could easily escape if he ever tried to capture us... I agree with Cynder on that. I'm not going to be caged to fight just for someone's entertainment. And if they would give up all the treasure they stole... that should help the moles in Warfang a lot, and maybe Cyril wouldn't be so angry at the Skavengers anymore..._

'...I'll accept your terms, Snotty, but only if Cynder's allowed to go free. This is between me and you... she had nothing to do with your problems before.'

Though doubt was clear in Snotty's beady eyes, he looked pleased. 'Aye. The lass be free to do as she likes.'

'Good. Then it's decided.'

Sparx stared at his brother with concern. 'Good? Being in that horrible arena is never good, Spyro.'

Spyro glanced up at him. 'You and Cynder won't be in there, Sparx.'

'Watching you fight?' Cynder mouthed in disbelief. 'That sounds worse.'

Snotty laughed. 'So, it be Spyro, ain't it? Then let's get to it!' He stood from his chair forcefully. 'Scratch! Wort! All hands on deck for a real swag of a fight!'

* * *

Spyro, Cynder, Sparx and Talon were led down the staircase and towards the aft end of the ship, and quickly ended up facing down a long corridor with blaring light through the metal grate. Snotty and Wort stopped quite a distance from the Arena's entrance, and Cynder could hear the gathering crowd of Skavengers already in anticipation for a fight they'd been waiting for. Talon took to gliding to each unlit torch overhead, as the floor seemed to become smellier and stickier the further they went along. Cynder didn't want to guess why.

Scratch was perched silently on Snotty's shoulder, maintaining a steady cold gaze upon Sparx especially. The dragonfly kept his gaze averted, though looking annoyed the whole way.

'Now!' Snotty adopted a serious look as he turned to face the purple dragon. 'This fight be as much for arr entertainin' as much as satsifaction, Spyro the dragon. But we gonna lay down some rules for ya. Otherwise...' He frowned. '...we both know it wouldn' be a fair fight.'

Spyro groaned, hoping to avoid disadvantaging himself when the mission is at stake. 'Ugh... alright, Snotty, but I'm not agreeing to anything foolish on my part. What rules?'

The captain didn't change his expression, but examined his hook carefully in the light. First: no magic.'

Spyro waited, but was surprised when Snotty remained silent.

'Really?' _If that's all, then I can still fly. I'm not sure if he knows, or what... but this still shouldn't be too difficult._

'Ah yes, and you can't leave the arena's circle, or fallin' into da pit. And it be obvious, but no extra help.'

'Wait...' Spyro glanced down at his own armour, wary of mentioning its magical properties. 'My armour's enchanted...'

Snotty shrugged. 'I 'ave armour too. So long as dat armour doesn't blow me up, yeh can use it.'

_I wouldn't say blow up, exactly..._

As Spyro finally nodded, the pirate cracked a smile. 'Then we be in business!'

Cynder only stared, trying to figure out what trick Snotty was trying to pull. Sparx actively flinched.

'C'mon, magic is almost everything Spyro can do! That's not...'

'Sparx, it's alright.'

Snotty grimaced at the dragonfly with amusement. 'And what, ya expect me to get blown to bits out there? I know that the purple dragon is a special 'un. I've still got a fleet to lead, so I want none of my limbs removed or other body parts. Anyway...'

With one swift movement he snatched Scratch – who didn't seem to react – off of his shoulder**.** He held the apathetic chirrup to his face, jaw scrounged menacingly.

'Now let's be clear, ya lil' parrot. I'm gonna let you do your thing up there, but only because I'm fighting. Consider this a treat, 'cause I'm not gonna let you do it again so long as I'm sittin' in me chair.'

Scratch just rolled his eyes. 'Of course, sir. But must you always use barbaric force to get what you want? I am tired of being treated as your servant.'

Despite his protests, Snotty let the chirrup fly through the gaps in the grate ahead. Snotty turned to Spyro and grinned with anticipation.

'Next we meet, dragon, it'll be out there. I'll be enterin' from the other side. Good luck!' He motioned for Wort to follow, and the two Skavengers retreated to a left side passage through the corridor, leaving the four companions approaching the arena slowly. Spyro and Sparx felt an unwelcome, but familiar churning of the stomach, even though Spyro doubted the danger this time around.

'Spyro.' Cynder voiced quietly. 'If anything goes wrong, I'm pulling you out of there.'

Spyro smiled at her gratefully. 'Thanks, Cynder, but I've fought Gaul with similar terms – so I'm confident about this one.'

'Yeah?' Sparx answered. 'Well if you ask me, that mutt looked pretty confident too. I don't think it will go as smoothly as you think.'

Cynder nodded in agreement. 'For once, I agree with Sparx. You have to be careful, Spyro. Remember what Cyril said – they can't be trusted.'

Sparx snorted. 'Yeah, like everything Cyril says is right.'

Spyro sighed lightly. 'I'll be fine, guys. You better get somewhere safe – it will start soon.'

Cynder hesitated for a moment, before nudging his face with her snout, earning a grateful smile from him, before leaving.

Sparx frowned with annoyance, but followed Cynder and Talon as they retreated back to another side passage leading up a staircase. Spyro approached the metal grate, and waited for Scratch's announcement, as well as Snotty in view on the other side.

_Now let's see if Snotty is as good as Nadina said he was..._

* * *

'Cynder...'

She continued to examine the wooden floor, not motivated to continue up to the viewing deck. The black dragoness knew it would only be a form of torture for her; watching Spyro fight when the rules forbade her from helping him. _I didn't come this far with him just to watch from the sidelines._

'Hey! Anyone home?'

_Maybe I'll help him anyway. I don't care for the rules of the fight, if Snotty plans to harm him in any way, I'll..._

Sparx frowned silently, shrugging his shoulders in annoyance as he glanced at Talon; walking along a handrail. 'Has she gone deaf, or is it just me?'

Talon tilted his head slightly before glancing away indifferently. Sparx groaned to himself. 'I guess I'm going senile, trying to talk to you.'

As Cynder emerged into the light again, several canines eyed her warily, with the smaller soldiers fidgeting as if getting ready to flee. Cynder lowered her head and hissed, sending those near her bolting to the other side, and she smiled despite herself.

As she looked around for a spot to settle, she wrinkled her nose in disgust at the state of the seats. They were nothing more than a raised wooden plank that ran the length of the stand, with many scratches, dents and some broken positions from the larger Skavengers sitting down too hard or falling over drunk. The lower parts of the banners and sails were similarly tattered from years of wear, tear and spilt drink.

_And Snotty thinks he's done well to get the place fixed up? Either it was a lot worse than I remember it, or his men just messed it up that quickly._

She ended up retreating from the writhing mass of bodies and sitting on a shaded seat on the very left side of the stands. All Skavengers near her quickly cleared away, which was to her liking. The arena below didn't seem to have changed much either, with the cannon ports and the enclosed circle of sand still present. She frowned at the thought of the ports' cannon fire.

_If some of those dogs use cannons against Spyro, then the fight will be forfeit, since that would technically be outside help. I almost wish they'll try, so I can teach them a lesson. _She sighed at her own bottled hostility. _Why is it so much harder for me to trust them? Spyro seems quite level-headed for dealing with mangy mutts, but... I suppose Snotty is not as bad as I thought he'd be._

Talon suddenly screeched in her ear, jolting her to look around. 'Huh? What?'

When Talon simply gazed at her with an annoyed look, she quickly realised Sparx was nowhere to be seen. 'Where did he go?'

Talon ruffled his feathers, giving Cynder an idea. 'I can't let Spyro fight without me to help should something go wrong... could you look for him?' She hoped that Talon would understand, and after a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief as he took off back the way they came. Cynder worried for an instant about what Talon would do when he found Sparx, but for some reason she felt he could be trusted.

_Weird. He can't even talk, but understands me easily. Is he really just a falcon?_

* * *

Sparx flew down the hallway as fast as he could go, pursuing Snotty and Wort. Despite his brother's confidence, he couldn't shake the feeling that Snotty was planning something terrible. At the very least, he wanted to hear what Snotty says out of earshot of his opponents. He only hoped he wasn't too late.

_What does Snotty have in that arena? Those big scorpions? Another Executioner? Spyro may be tough, but if he actually gets hit, he's a goner... and he doesn't have that weird time machine power, either. I have to make sure he'll be alright..._

'... Have they found it yet?'

'Found what, boss?'

'Yeh know! Dat... thing! The thing I can't talk about!'

The small dragonfly stopped, trying to find a way to eavesdrop without giving away his bright glow. Thankfully, the corridor was quite worn down with several cracks in the floor, to which he glided through the awnings slowly as he kept up with the heavy footsteps ahead.

'Huh? Oh... um... no.'

'Blasted thing! Why won't it leave me alone?'

'Uh... because it wants food, maybe?'

Snotty grunted indignantly, but was otherwise silent.

'Yeh wanted us to chop it up good, right?'

'What!?' Snotty exclaimed frantically. 'Yeh think I wanna be haunted by a crab ghost da rest of me life? Idiot! Like we don't 'ave enough ghosts already!'

'But... but...' Wort replied in shock. 'What're we supposed ta do with it?'

'Get a cage! Sell it off! Throw it off da plank! But whatever ya do, don' kill it in dese 'ere halls!'

'...r-right, boss!'

They both paused for a moment, as Sparx stopped in place when they stopped walking.

'Why are yeh still 'ere?'

Wort fidgeted nervously before he spoke. 'It... be about dis fight, sir. I think it be a bad idea.'

Snotty sighed, but not as angrily this time. 'What yeh be moanin' bout now, Wort?'

'I heard dat deal ya made! I know yeh, Snotty, and dere be a chance we could lose all arr loot!'

'Yeh? Yer point bein'?'

'I thought ya loved it! Ya've cut off hands for dat stuff!'

'Yer right, and I've not intent on losin', Wort.'

Sparx heard Wort give a deep grunt of relief. 'I figured dat, boss, but if dat dragon be who he says he is, yeh can't beat 'im in a fair fight. Even with da rules you made.'

'I know what I'm doing, Wort! I have a plan, of course, but yeh have to keep yer yap shut. Dem Skylubbers be useful.'

'Really? What yeh gonna do?'

Sparx held his breath so as to keep silent.

'I'm not telin' ya! I don' need ya to do anythin', 'cept follow orders! Now get! Find that crab, ya hear!?'

Sparx cursed to himself as the metal gates clanked open. Before he could make his escape, Wort's padded boot broke the wood above him, and he couldn't help but yell in response.

'Ey!?'

Sparx sped out from his hiding place, trying to act casual before the large Skavenger.

'Oh hi! I was just... looking for termites... to eat, you know...'

Wort's expression quickly changed from suspicion to confusion. 'Huh? We 'ave termites? What's a termite?'

Sparx just stared blankly. 'They're... bad insects that chew up wood, and I'm a... you better get rid of them! Or they'll eat up your ship!'

As Wort's eyes widened at the implications, he sped off before Wort could figure out any more than that.

_So... that Snotty is scared of something... too bad I'm scared of it too..._

* * *

Spyro steadied his foreleg greaves in a better position as the gates opened. If Snotty was skilled with a blade, as he thought, he would need to block it in some way. He rotated the guards to the sides of his forearms, and tightened his helmet as he stepped out to the forgotten cheer of Skavengers, though his nervousness abated a little when he saw Cynder watching and waving, though he couldn't hear what she was saying. He took a deep breath to face his opponent.

Snotty was walking with the same attire he was wearing in the captain's cabin, which further confused Spyro as to why he wasn't using any magical weapons. Either he didn't have Skabb's possessions, or he really liked his rapier.

As they neared each other Snotty stopped and planted his weapon in the ground. Spyro mimicked him by sitting and glancing up to the captain's chair, where he spotted another purple chirrup joining Scratch on the top. Sniff eyed him with sadistic amusement.

'Well, if it isn't that lil' dragon boy! Well lucky us that you've filled out a little. Ha! All the more meat for us to beat up!'

Spyro rolled his eyes and wished to himself that Sparx would come out and punch him again.

Scratch cleared his throat, opening his wings to address the crowd.

'So...at last, after many years, my fellow fans, we have another fight in store for you! One certain to satiate your pent-up frustrations from our lack of pirate work!'

He paused, and Sniff spoke up. 'Yeah! Let's get to hurtin'!'

'Ahem...' Scratch continued. 'This match will decide the next course for the fleet. Should the dragon win – well, our good captain will be strung up and judged like a criminal!'

Spyro opened his mouth to object, but was drowned out by the booing from the crowd.

'But should the dragon lose, then he'll be honour-bound to remain here, fighting for our entertainment, until such a time we decide to let him go! But when will that be, I wonder?'

The crowd began jeering down at him mockingly, though Spyro smiled when Cynder threatened those near her to shut up.

'Now! I present our good captain – Snotty the pirate Skavenger! Who has never been defeated in an arena fight!'

Snotty grinned and raised his rapier into the air. 'Dat's right, yeh dogs! Remember who's in charge!'

Spyro studied Scratch and Snotty curiously. _Right... out of how many, I wonder? One? Two?_

'And fighting him is the one, the only – Spyro the dragon!'

Spyro was surprised by the amount of cheers he got, even with the same amount booing him at the same time. _I guess they got some entertainment from me last time..._

Sniff flapped his wings impatiently. 'Now. Go!'

Snotty lowered his blade in front of him defensively. 'Yeh ready, Spyro the dragon?'

Spyro lowered his head and tensed all his limbs. 'Let's go.'

Snotty took the first strike, leaping forward with unexpected speed. As his blade flashed down, Spyro rolled out of the way, spinning around to strike with his tail. Snotty, however, blocked it, flourishing his sword around out of the ground. However, as Spyro's armour's magic activated with his blow, Snotty's block forced him backwards slightly. While Snotty couldn't see it, the burst of magic through Spyro's claws was almost as visible as purple light.

Snotty recovered surprisingly quickly, closing the distance between them again. Spyro darted out of the way to avoid Snotty's wide slashes, which wasn't easy as Snotty could easily keep up with him. After half a dozen dodges, Spyro deflected one to the side with his arm pauldron, glancing Snotty's blade away just long enough for him to ram his skull with a headbutt. As his armour activated again, the pirate was sent flying a few feet, but got up rather quickly as he rubbed his head.

'Woo...' He grumbled, grinning despite himself. 'Yeh flip around like a Takk frog! This'll be fun!'

Spyro eyed his blade warily. _I need my armour to block that edge..._

Snotty attacked again, swinging sideways as he sped forward. As Spyro ducked to avoid it, Snotty stuck his blade into the ground briefly and changed direction, his momentum sending him crashing into Spyro, immediately striking out with his hook. Spyro blocked the initial swipe, then the pirate's sword arm as he pulled it out the ground, eventually ending in an arm-lock between the two. After a few seconds of struggling face to face, Snotty's arm quickly sagged under Spyro's grip, and suddenly spat in his face to end the melee and push him away.

'Pah!' Spyro coughed and spat from the unexpected attack. _So much for honourable._

After two failed attacks, Snotty remained in a defensive pose and began to circle him gradually. Spyro, after gauging his opponent's speed and strength, attacked with confidence, lowering his head to charge. Just before contact, Snotty stabbed his rapier forward right at his face, forcing him to stop abruptly and dance away. Snotty took advantage of the change in motion by elbowing him in the face and managing to cut at his flank, glancing off his armour but felt a jolt of pain from a gash on his shoulder.

'Spyro!'

Cynder's cry alerted him to the injury, but Snotty did not let him stop. As Snotty continued to slash away at him, he tried blocking with his arm pauldron again, but his opponent reacted quickly, instead swiping his hook to get stuck on the pauldron's edge, cutting Spyro's scales as he did, pulling and trying to tear it off. Spyro immediately bit his arm as he twisted his own to pull away, as Snotty bashed his sword hilt against his head. Finally, Spyro ended the exchanged by pulling Snotty's body toward him before hitting him with his opposite wing and tail in a full-body swing, letting go of Snotty's arm.

Cynder gripped the handrails firmly, scraping the wood in her anxiety. This was exactly what she didn't want to see. Snotty was more skilled than either of them expected. Worse, she no longer doubted Snotty would kill Spyro if he could, as that wasn't discussed as a rule. Since Spyro wanted a diplomatic outcome, he was now at a disadvantage against an opponent who wasn't holding back. She fought the urge to talk, fearing it would distract Spyro further. If this fight wasn't settled quickly, however, she would get Spyro out of here, regardless of the outcome.

The bloodied combatants panted for a few moments, sensing the fight's direction shifting. Snotty had blood running down the side of his head from Spyro's blow, but wasn't slowing down. Spyro, on the other hand, felt his right foreleg tremble, and he stood trying not to think about the wound to his shoulder.

'Whassa matter?' Snotty growled. 'Yeh givin' up yet?'

'No... but how far are you willing to go, Snotty?'

Snotty simply grinned and flashed his hook, glinting under the bright midday sun. 'Why don't we find out?'

* * *

The crowd continued to be enthralled by the battle, even as the minutes lengthened. Spyro and Snotty were both too skilled to take any deciding blows, but both began slowing down as their minor injuries accumulated. Spyro's armour was beginning to feel heavy, the bruises under them from blocked blows sending waves of pain as he kept moving. Snotty discarded some armour pieces entirely, as Spyro's heavy blows rendered the inferior craftsmanship unusable. Under the armour was a bruised and bloody body, but lean and muscular enough to explain the canine's speed.

Cynder began searching for a way out for Spyro, but could not think of a way to end the fight without forfeiting their mission. Spyro was not surrendering, and neither was Snotty.

As they traded blow after blow, Cynder could see Spyro slowing down. As a result, his blows rarely connected anymore, rendering his armour enchantment useless. And Snotty was able to land just as much blows as in the beginning.

Spyro managed to get in close whilst avoiding the blade, gripping both Snotty's arms to point his hook and blade away. But before he could slam his head down, Snotty swiftly kicked him in his scaly stomach, freeing up his sword arm to bash Spyro's helm with his sword hilt. Spyro collapsed for a moment, stunned, and Snotty raised his sword to slash at Spyro's exposed neck.

'SPYRO!'

Spyro blinked once, Cynder's cry distorting ever so slightly. The arena seemed to darken around him as all the cheering was suddenly hushed. There was nothing but the tip of the blade, coming down towards him. He pushed his body to respond, and he pulled back from the blow just in time.

_What... was that?_

The distortion ended almost as quickly as it started. Snotty paused, caught off guard by Spyro's sudden speed. In that position, the canine only just dodged away in time to avoid Spyro retaliating slash.

_He held back his blow... but would he have killed me? He looks... disappointed, somehow. What is he up to?_

Spyro's body sagged again, realising that the burst of speed was taxing him further. Snotty, while bloodied and covered with several gashes, showed no signs of genuine exhaustion as he growled to himself in frustration.

'This has gone on long enough, dragon.'

Spyro looked around in shock as Snotty nodded up to Scratch, and several leaders and soldiers leapt into the arena to Snotty's aid. Cynder, mouth agape with anger, immediately pulled herself into a dive, quickly landing by Spyro's side as they closed in. She eyed Spyro for a moment, and it seemed he couldn't fly right now, as his wings were drooping at the loss of energy.

'What is this, Snotty!?' Spyro growled, angry at being pushed into such a corner. 'We're not finished! Leave your men out of this!'

Snotty ignored his demands, but was similarly annoyed at how the fight turned out. 'I be thinkin' yeh need to be a wee bit more desperate, Spyro... for yeh life.'

'What!?'

Cynder stood sideways around Spyro protectively, still deciding whether to go all out, whether it would only worsen the situation. And then, she saw Talon overhead, pursuing a sight she deemed surprisingly welcome, despite herself. As she and Spyro glanced up at them, they wondered in disbelief what Sparx was doing.

Snotty stared up at them, too. Annoyed, he shook his hook in an attempt to swat at the distant Sparx. 'Git outta here, ya bug and bird! This don' concern ya!'

Sparx groaned as he hauled an enormous oyster through the air; the biggest one he could carry. He eyed the ceiling for a moment, before eyeing Talon expectantly.

'Hey, a little help?'

The avian nodded, swooping by Sparx to grab the oyster in his strong beak, before circling down towards Snotty. Spyro and Cynder soon spotted a strange shape moving on an overhead mast, following Talon's movements. Sparx grinned expectantly as Talon cracked the oyster open, spilling its smelly contents all over Snotty's face.

Then a giant crab dropped from the ceiling... right onto the captain's face. Everyone froze as Snotty's body went limp.

'...'

'AAAIYABLARINKAVENALUBINIMOFFMECRASP–'

The Skavengers surrounding them descended into a panic, tripping over each other in their desperation to get the limb crab off of him. Some tried to cut it off, while others were holding them back to follow Snotty's orders properly. Snotty flailed about, still screaming curses, only adding to the confusion. Whether he was angry, terrified, or both, Spyro couldn't tell.

Cynder stared transfixed at the scene before examining Spyro as he collapsed. 'What... happened to you, Spyro? Can you move? We've gotta get out of here...'

Spyro shook his head wearily. 'I wouldn't get far, anyway, Cynder...'

Talon and Sparx soon joined them, both of them eyeing him with similar concern. 'If only we had a Leviathan show up right now...'

Cynder stared at Spyro's largest wound, the gash on his shoulder. She blinked as an idea came into her head.

'Sparx... Talon... I need you two to find some red crystal, and bring as much back as you can.'

They left without hesitation, retreating to the lower decks. Sparx led the way, as he knew the layout of the ship better than Talon did.

Cynder continued to watch Spyro, but thankfully no Skavengers bothered them. Snotty was quickly pushed out of the arena and into the pit before the limb crab finally crept off, and most Skavengers had got the message that it wasn't to be killed here. Snotty didn't get up, though, and Talon returned holding two gleaming red gems in his claws soon enough. Cynder held them close to Spyro, who pressed his claws against them eagerly. As he absorbed their energy, most of his wounds closed, with the one on his shoulder healing the most. The crystals, however, lost all their colour once he was finished, before they shattered into magic particles.

'How does it feel?' Cynder asked, relieved as he began moving again.

'It still feels sore...' He flexed his foreleg, and grimaced painfully. 'But I can move again.' He glanced over to Snotty. 'What about him?'

The Skavengers, including Scratch and Sniff, were watching both their captain and the limb crab in anticipation. The crab crawled up the side of the arena and settled on the open wall. The party waited for a few minutes, and finally, the captain began to stir.

'Eh... whaddya lookin' at, yeh belly-achers...'

As he raised his head to look at them, all the fur on his face had been chewed off.


	12. Aethereal Sentry

Chapter 11

Aethereal Sentry

* * *

'You have _got_ to be kidding me.'

Volteer tilted his head obliviously to her scornful tone, as Solaris eyed the fresh corpse of a dreadwing on the outside platform. 'What's the matter? Use that fire of yours, and we'll have quite a delicious meal before the journey back! The meat may be rather leathery in the wings, and the rest rather chewy, but there is a lot of meat within-'

Solaris stared at the large bat miserably. While she was rather hungry, she had no experience using her power for cooking. _Like I've ever had to. We've always had steady lava for that... But I suppose there's nothing to lose trying down here._

Solaris groaned to herself before eyeing the corpse, and Volteer stepped back a fair distance. She inhaled and emitted a wide stream of blue fire. The body was alight for only a few seconds before she was stopped by Volteer's alarmed exclamations, his wings fanning in an attempt to put it out.

'Ah! Stop! No, no, no... Look at it, this is... ahem. Bad.'

She couldn't smell it, but by the way Volteer was scrunching his muzzle in disgust, she guessed she had overcooked it. Examining the smouldering corpse, she deduced it was no longer edible, as all the flesh had blackened and the fur had been stripped off by the heat.

Volteer poked at the corpse with his snout, like a youngster trying to salvage a spilt treat. 'Ah, ah... a whole dreadwing... How unfortunate.'

Solaris's slight guilt was quickly replaced by annoyance as he continued this pattern for a whole minute. 'Ugh, get over it already! Let's just find some other food and get out of here.'

Volteer moved to follow her as she opened her wings, still pining a little. 'Such a waste...'

As the underground path ended at Malefor's hideout, the two backtracked to the entrance and combed the ruins and walls on the opposite path. Like before, they picked up any useful traces of scrolls they could carry, and if they didn't have space, Volteer carried the urns back to the entrance for collection in the future. Unfortunately, after several hours of searching, they didn't find anything else related to Malefor or the Ancient society that once dwelt here. Volteer, however, detected another magic seal when they found a raised square platform with many holes in its side walls, covered with soil and several crystals littering its zenith. What Volteer found strange was a signal mixed in with that of the crystals'.

'Do you sense something?' Solaris enquired, her annoyance now gone in the face of a new discovery.

Volteer nodded slowly as he closed his eyes. 'Yes... like the crystals are stones around a campfire... surrounding the fire itself...'

Solaris frowned as she detected it too, despite her lack of reaction to an Earth seal before. She realised that it must be fire-based magic for her to detect it so easily. Edging around the square platform, she began digging at the loose soil in a large crack on the left side, and found the wall to be heavily eroded and began piling at her feet as she continued. Volteer watched her, both curious and wary.

'Careful, my dear. It wouldn't do to lose valuable artifacts to a sudden collapse.'

Something told Solaris that the object within wouldn't be destroyed so easily, especially if they remained intact despite their burial. Nevertheless, she took care to only carve out a path just large enough for her to squeeze through. As she scored a peek inside, there was an extremely faint orange glow. Wrinkling her face miserably as she crawled through the tight – and dirty – opening, she emerged in a new room and examined her surroundings.

The air was extremely stuffy, indicating that no other openings to this room existed for ages. There were faded, yet elaborate runes coating the walls, floor and ceiling. Most had been covered in layers of dust, which puffed up from the floor with her every step. A large opening for a staircase just ahead was caved in with rocks and debris. However, the object in before her stood out from the rest.

It was a metallic pedestal of some sort, still shiny and clean despite the dust and debris surrounding it. Carvings of swirling clouds and thunderbolts coated its lower column, with a crown-like head enclosing a rotating, golden orb. Solaris smiled with satisfaction; only strong magic imbued into an object would make it this resistant.

'Volteer! It's an electric conduit – I believe you'll want to see this.'

She immediately regretted her announcement, as Volteer crowed with excitement and rushed to her dug-out hole in a frenzy.

'Don't bury me alive, you old fool!'

The digging stopped instantly at her warning. 'Uh... ahem. Apologies, Solaris. But please hurry!'

As she guessed, the conduit was heavier than she thought, but she managed to push it over gently and roll it towards her dug-out opening, rotating it to face it lengthwise through the hole. As soon as he could reach, Volteer grabbed the pedestal's head and together they pried it through. As Volteer stared at it in awe, he pulled it upright as Solaris shook the dirt off of her translucent scales.

As she guessed, the conduit was heavier than she thought, but she managed to push it over gently and roll it towards her opening, rotating it to face it lengthwise through her hole. As soon as he could reach, Volteer grabbed the pedestal's head and together they pried it through the hole. Volteer pulled it upright and stared at it in awe as Solaris shook the dirt off of her translucent scales.

'Incredible...' The electric Guardian couldn't help but rest his claw on the crown's surface, and the orb within immediately flashed, and he retracted his claw as he felt his own energy fluctuate in response. Volteer was tempted to try and power it immediately to test it out, but through better of it, as he still needed energy for the trip back.

'That orb... Why does it look so familiar...' Volteer frowned, tapping his head a few times. 'Ah! I remember. Cynder extracted such an orb from me from my time as a suspended, organic power source...'

'Really? I suppose you would be perfect for that...' Solaris pondered, noting the event for future reference. 'Then is it a magical object – with no physical form?'

Volteer nodded slowly to her. 'It was formed purely from electric magic... yet we dragons can hold them like solid objects. It takes a certain affinity to magic to make this possible. Notably, sufficient, raw talent in a respective element.'

They both examined the conduit for a while longer, still admiring their prize. Solaris then looked back along the path they had travelled, and contemplated the journey back.

'Will you carry this in your claws? I don't see a better way to get it back to Warfang.'

Volteer nodded enthusiastically. 'Of course! It won't do to lose this to the depths below.'

They backtracked hastily to Warfang's gate, Volteer taking care to only fly above platforms he could see. As they continued slowly with the conduit in tow, Solaris rolled her eyes at the expression on Volteer's muzzle – like that of a hatchling with their first kill.

* * *

Cynder couldn't believe that they'd be in the captain's cabin again so soon; especially with Spyro eagerly munching away on a giant chicken drumstick offered by Wort. Most of the crew were still in the arena, keeping an eye on the limb crab. Sparx and Talon stayed behind too, as the limb crab followed Sparx when he tried to leave with them. Wort and Scratch had gestured for them to follow, and they had reluctantly fallen in line when they didn't see anyone else move.

They sat there in silence, while Wort looked on as Snotty sat in his chair, staring at the ceiling blankly. Cynder was still waiting for him to explain himself, as did Spyro when he finished his drumstick. Scratch, however, kept covering his face with a wing, as if facepalming at the whole situation.

'So... yeh won.'

Spyro raised his head. 'What?'

'I said, yeh won.'

Spyro stared directly at the captain, as it took him a second to grasp his meaning. 'You mean... that counted? You falling off the pit?'

Snotty nodded slowly, still looking at the ceiling. 'Sometime... while that thing...'

'Alright, what's going on!?' Cynder hissed angrily. 'Are you trying to kill us, or not? I don't like being played with! Worse, Spyro's life being played with. Explain yourself now, or by the Ancestors I'll–'

Snotty looked at her firmly. 'Relax, lass. I'll admit, I 'ave a – weakness to those horrible creatures. When one's near me, it's like I'm not meself! Anyways, the plan was never to kill the lad, but to get as close as be possible...'

'What are you talking about?' Spyro murmured guardedly.

'Da eel ghost... we could never find it, dragon. Even if yeh swore to help us, yeh wouldn' be fast nuff to catch it.'

'What's your point?' Cynder said.

'I be figurin', if da purple dragon is the most magic one... den the eel ghost be comin' for him if he be in danger. It eats magic – so to it, Spyro 'ere be as juicy a meal as da giant chicken.'

Spyro nodded to himself as he understood. 'So you wanted to lure it here, because there's no other way to be sure.'

Cynder shook her head in disbelief. 'Still, that whole fight was pointless! Spyro could've just used some magic to attract it, not all this arena nonsense.'

Wort cleared his throat. 'But it's not. Everythin' Snotty said about demandin' satisfaction be the honest truth.'

Snotty regained his composure enough to grin slightly. 'And yeh be needin' dat energy ta fight the thing!'

Cynder sighed heavily. 'But you just said we could never find it!'

Snotty's grin disappeared as quickly as it came. '... yer right, lass.'

The captain sat back in his chair tiredly for a few moments, before he managed to say one last thing. 'So... are yeh goin' or yeh stayin'? No use just sittin' here no more.'

'Why should we stay?' Cynder barked angrily. 'I trust you Skavengers less now than I did before.'

'Why, lass?' Snotty asked as gently as possible. 'Arr deal still stands; even though the fight itself wasn' so much.'

Cynder sighed, but looked to Spyro expectantly. 'What do you think? You're the one who was beaten to a pulp, after all... although I'd recommend ditching this party of mutts while we still can.'

Spyro examined her worriedly, and despite his willingness for a diplomatic solution, Snotty had worn out their options. Rather than risk his companions' safety any further, Spyro sighed grudgingly.

'I'm sorry, Snotty, but I can't risk any more surprises from you. We got enough information. I want to leave before we get too deep in your scheming.'

He half-expected an attack as he got up, but neither the Skavengers nor Chirrups made any move to stop them. Scratch simply stretched his wings as he eyed them with disappointment.

'So the riff-raff have had their fill, hm? I can't say I'm surprised – but we do have the courtesy to avoid more... unpleasantries.'

Sniff simply smirked as he taunted them. 'The dragon got beat up by a Skavenger! Hah! You'll never live this down, mark my words!'

Cynder turned to bare her fangs at him, shutting him up instantly. Spyro picked up speed to return to the Arena, where Sparx and Talon were still waiting. He couldn't help but feel ashamed; his own overconfidence led them into this mess. _Hopefully we can still get out safely, while Snotty's still meek and pale as a ghost..._

_Still, that bird is right. I can only imagine Cyril's response when we get back... ugh._

* * *

It didn't take long for Spyro and Cynder to find Sparx and Talon, still in the exact position they had left them. Some Skavengers were still hanging around; curious to see the "monster" their captain was so afraid of, only to be somewhat confused or amused by the docile crab creature. Sparx turned to them warily, still worried for Spyro despite his renewed energy.

'So? What happened?'

'We're getting out of here.'

Unexpectedly, he frowned. 'While that sounds great, Spyro, I don't think we're getting off that easy.'

'What do you mean, Sparx?' Cynder asked, eyeing the lingering pirates suspiciously.

The dragonfly simply glanced up at the surrounding platforms. 'Those mutts have been whining about sighting something up there. If it's what I think it is... I wouldn't want to fly off this ship at all. Especially if I was a dragon.'

Spyro and Cynder eyed him curiously, before taking off to reach the deck above. While most Skavengers ignored them, one leader in the crow's nest caught their attention. He waved at them, lowering himself in a metal cage to the lowest mast platform.

'Ere, skylubbers! Before yeh fly off, look to da northwest! Be what we stuck here for.'

The two dragons looked through the midday light, and easily spotted the dark shape against the ocean below. It was long and deep purple, with a lightning-blue tail flashing through the air.

It was the Elraith.

Spyro froze as it turned towards them, intense unease creeping up his tail. It was like it was screaming silently, with its mouth wide open, staring at him, and him alone, as it snaked slowly towards him – like a predator tailing its prey...

'Spyro?'

He shook the feeling off as Cynder nudged him. 'I'm... fine. But... this is bad...'

They both turned to the sound of an amused chuckle. 'Still wanna leave, skylubbers?'

Snotty and Wort were before them, with some new armour fitted on the captain, along with bandages around his head and chest. Spyro couldn't help but feel impressed at how quickly he'd recovered from their fight, but was replaced by a shocked realisation as he narrowed his eyes.

'You... you knew this would happen, didn't you? The fight with me was just to lure it here, and now... here it is.'

Cynder bared her teeth at them. 'We have to help you now, don't we?'

Snotty grinned cheekily. 'Ere, yeh should be grateful I'm still holdin' up me end of da bargain.' He pointed his hook out at the ocean, as if fishing for the Elraith lingering miles away. 'Yeh help me kill that thing, and not only can yeh get home, arr crew and the Fellmuth will follow to see yer dragon justice. Well? Whaddya say?'

Spyro groaned heavily, as it didn't take long to decide. 'We don't have much choice. Fine, Snotty – we'll help. I assume you have a plan?'

Snotty nodded eagerly. 'Yeh _assume_ correctly. Wort, if ya please?'

As the large Commander edged forward with a sadistic look in his eyes, Spyro and Cynder shied away as Spyro glanced at her regretfully. 'I'm guessing we're not going to like this plan.'

* * *

Cynder eyed the chains around her and Spyro's legs, hating the all-too-familiar feeling of being trapped, both from pirates and Apes. 'I knew it.'

Spyro nodded in hearty agreement. 'At least it's not real, but...' He glanced over at Snotty, who was using his pirate monocular to track the Elraith. The two young dragons were chained up in clear view behind the ship's wheel, with Snotty and Wort standing guard next to them. All nearby cannons were manned, but not yet pointed at the Elraith for deception's sake, and many leaders were hiding below deck with muskets at the ready in preparation for the Elraith's attack.

'Snotty, is this really necessary?' Snotty's plan involved chaining him up like some sort of offering, which sounded completely absurd. While a strange and crude plan it was, they didn't have a better idea.

Snotty waved his hook at them without turning around. 'Pipe down! You'll blow the plan if it hears ya.'

Cynder rolled her eyes. 'Like it would understand your crazy ways...'

After a few minutes, Snotty signalled Wort with a clenched fist, and Wort awkwardly raised his thick arms towards the sky, attempting to sound awe-struck.

'Oh ya terrible Eel Ghost! We 'ereby offer yeh two offerings to... uh...'

'Satiate!' Snotty hissed before he raised his arms again.

'... Saysheeate... your thirst for da magic stuff! And this purple one has more den any other! Drink their blood, oh ya terrible Snake Vampire–'

'Eel Ghost, ya dolt!' Snotty smacked him over the head. 'And what's dat about drinkin' blood? Drinkin' magic, for–'

'Aack! It's movin'! Too fast!'

The sentries began calling out simultaneously, and everyone braced themselves. Spyro and Cynder covertly slipped their loose restraints off and prepared to take off.

Snotty used his monocular again, signalling to the first few cannoneers. 'Hold fast, yeh dogs! Fire da broadside!'

The Elraith was now close enough for them to hear its low whistling as it flew, jerking from side to side as it avoided the cannonballs. From its movements, they could tell it was going straight for them. Spyro and Cynder took off in the opposite direction in an effort to distract it from the cannons below. Judging from its seemingly frail body and Nadina's account, if even one of them hit, then it was likely they could finish it off.

'Keep firin'! But mind the Skylubbers! Without 'em, we're fried bloatfish!'

Despite Snotty's warning, the cannoneers were having a hard time keeping their cannonballs on the mark. Due to the Elraith's speed, they had to lead their target, but many led too much and missed Spyro's tail by inches. Thankfully, Cynder was able to blow any stray cannonballs with bursts of wind as she led Spyro on and over the ship, then under the deck for a repeated pass.

This one proved no better than the first. Snotty and Wort had picked up smaller muskets and began shooting at the Elraith as well. However, they were slow firing, and had no better luck.

Spyro was quick to notice a disturbing pattern. Whenever he banked left, the Elraith banked left. When he pitched forward, it did the same. It was clearly after him rather than Cynder, and while that confirmed Snotty's suspicions, it only worsened his own anxiety in the creature's presence, not to mention his wings tensing up as he pushed them past his usual speed.

'What can we do?' Cynder yelled out over the wind in their ears. 'If we stop to fight, we could go down in one attack!'

Spyro could only growl a fatigued answer. 'It's... all I can do to stay ahead of it...'

As they passed up for the third pass, Cynder twisted her head towards the two crow's nests on either side, as well as the metal cages used to transport troops. As Spyro did the same, an idea formed in his head.

'Snotty!' He shouted down at the crew. 'The cage!'

The canine took one look up and a crazy glint formed in his eyes. 'Arr! Get some boys on the pulleys!'

'Boss!' Wort called out worriedly. 'Yeh'd be crazy to go up with the ghost!'

'Yeah? Who else could lead yeh!? Get!'

Snotty scrambled inside the nearest cage sitting on the deck, while several soldiers and the reluctant Wort pulled at the ropes surrounding the mast with all their strength, and Snotty shot up to the Crow's nest above. He crawled out, and chopped at the wooden floor, quickly felling it to crash into the deck, leaving the bare metal spikes pointing downwards. He then waited for the next pass, eyeing the cage's hook steadily.

The fliers were already on their next pass, and Cynder tried to lead the Elraith below the waiting cage. But as it flew near, with the first hint of intellect, the Elraith broke away from her intended path and flew straight at Snotty, bellowing its ghoulish scream.

'Snotty!'

Despite her warning, he couldn't cover his ears in time, and the Elraith barrelled into him during his brief paralysis, knocking him off. Spyro attempted to change his course to catch the captain, but the Elraith turned right around to speed towards him, stopping him in his tracks.

Cynder swooped around to intercept it, but it had gained too much speed as it sped down towards Spyro, and she knew she couldn't get to him in time. Spyro spewed a few ice bolts at it closed in, but it didn't stop the creature from hitting him in midair. He desperately kept its mouth at bay with his claws as he continued spewing any projectiles he could, but they didn't seem to be hurting it at all.

Snotty raised his musket and aimed upwards towards them, firing a well-placed shot into the Elraith's bright tail. As it screeched and recoiled, Spyro managed to kick himself out of its grip, and by a stroke of luck and skill, Snotty shot out the hook of the cage with a second shot and brought it crashing down on it. It screeched as the spikes impaled its body, with fury rather than pain.

Cynder could see it was slipping out from under the cage, and she sped down to circle the cage, blowing the Elraith back whenever it slipped out.

Snotty, meanwhile, grinned triumphantly and aimed his hook towards the last wooden platform below, firing a long cable from his arm to attach himself, swinging down to safety before skidding across the deck as the hook dislodged from the weight. Then, after a few more seconds, the cage crashed into the deck with a wet crunch.

Somehow, the Elraith was still alive, thrashing about despite being impaled into the wooden splinters and metal spikes. The few Skavengers around it quickly got over their shock, brandishing weapons, and began thrusting their weapons into it repeatedly.

Spyro watched the sight with slight revulsion, and by the time he and Cynder were back on the deck, it was clearly dead. The Skavengers stabbed it a few more times, as a precaution, and Snotty collapsed to a sitting position as he examined it.

'Finally... yeh damn eel ghost... outta me fur.' He slumped backwards against the railing. 'Someone fetch me some rum!'

As he spoke, the Elraith's purple flesh began to dissipate, leaving little time for them to examine it. It matched Nadina's description, with some blue fur on its collar, and the lightning blue colour fading from its tail. Despite its flesh being flesh, somehow it was disappearing... in the same manner as the red crystal did before, entire body crumbling into tiny black particles.

And at last, the Elraith was gone.

* * *

The crew milled about as they cleaned up the ship as best they could, while Snotty and Wort began to organise the crew to gather on the ships from the rest of the fleet. Spyro and Cynder were quick to follow them around, making sure they were giving the correct orders to hoist the masts and steer the ship back in the opposite direction. Of particular interest to them were how the crew would be organised, and just how many would come back to Warfang.

'Snotty, there are too many,' Spyro was quick to point out, seeing the many boats unloading Skavengers onto the Fellmuth. 'We don't have enough food and water to feed the whole fleet! Only those responsible for crimes during the war should come. Otherwise, send your people home' – he frowned thoughtfully – '...wherever that is.'

Cynder glared accusingly down at Wort, Blither and Blather, whispering to each other on the main deck. 'You better not be up to something else. Just how many of you are guilty?'

The pirate grinned loosely, signalling his exhaustion. 'Lass, yeh a'ready see us as guilty. Would yeh believe me?'

'Just answer her, Snotty.'

'Fine... well, I admit I led the ships with those wee moles, and made the call to rob 'em. But some o' them commanders on other ships decided to pillage the nearby villages as they dropped 'em refugees... or destroyed 'em by accident.'

Cynder narrowed her eyes before gazing into Spyro's eyes firmly. 'We're taking the commanders, then. I know they're the highest in the hierarchy apart from the Captain. Those birds, too.'

Snotty nodded with recognition, hoisting himself long enough to yell over the wooden railings. 'Wort! Get all 'em soldiers 'n leaders on the other ships! Send 'em packing back to Rivallah!'

Spyro eyed him curiously. _Rivallah? If that's a land mass, I've never heard of it._

They waited for a while longer as the other ships were loaded with crew, and once they were both satisfied that Snotty was following their directions, Spyro retreated down to the main deck and sat just outside the cabin entrance, taking in the pleasant breeze and subdued sunlight. His eyes began to droop as he felt sleep coming on.

Before he did, though, Cynder hurried to the Arena to call over the edge.

'Hey Sparx! And Talon... come up and join us! We might be able to get more rest on the journey home.'

'Finally!' The dragonfly called out with inflated volume. 'I'm tired of waiting around near this thing!'

Talon landed on the railings to gaze over at Spyro inquisitively, while Sparx stretched his arms as he neared his brother.

'I could do with a nap, too, now that you mention it...'

The two brothers were about to nod off when Snotty gave a high-pitched shriek from the deck above. 'AAAH! Get it away! Git it!'

The limb crab scuttled quietly over the railings as well, Sparx groaning heavily and hovering up in front of it.

'OK, look Limpy, we're grateful for you chewing off that mutt's facial fur, but you need to go away for a bit. With all those freaky legs and not making a sound while you do it...'

The other three stared at them for a moment.

'Limpy?'

Sparx raised an eyebrow at the black dragoness. 'What? I can't think of a better name.'

Spyro chuckled lightly to himself. 'And here you were complaining about Talon tagging along.'

'Limpy's useful in a different way.'

Just as he was saying that, Cynder went up to check on Snotty, seeing him curled up on the edge of the deck, covering his head as if fire were raining from the sky.

'Guys... if, uh... _Limpy_ won't stop following Sparx, we should get below deck. Otherwise this ship isn't going anywhere – not without Snotty commanding it.'

Spyro propped himself up, and together, Cynder led them down to one of the warmer dining areas down below for Spyro and Sparx to get some rest. "Limpy" followed them, but Cynder eyed it fixatedly so it stayed in the previous hallway, and out of sight. Talon opened his beak a little as well, and Cynder noted that the bird hadn't slept at all during their trip.

'I'll take watch.'

As she sat with her head raised nearby, Spyro growled widely as he yawned one more time. 'Thank you, Cynder...'

As he began to snore softly, Cynder smiled back, and couldn't help but reach out and touch his face nervously, if only for a moment. His purple scales reflected and contrasted the orange torchlight beautifully, and she couldn't help but stare. Even as young as he was, he was quite handsome, with sturdy horns and a sharp crest. For the first time, she found herself imagining how Spyro would look as an adult, and spent much of the coming trip fantasising Spyro as a fully-fledged adult dragon.

_Well... hopefully I'll see you grow into it, Spyro..._


	13. Sweet Homecoming

Chapter 12

Sweet Homecoming

* * *

Cynder's own efforts to stay awake through her daydreams wore thin quickly, and the only thing really keeping her awake was the unnerving presence of the limb crab nearby. While Spyro was usually a quiet sleeper, Cynder wished for once he would snore as loudly as Terrador; or mutter loudly like Volteer, if only to keep her up. Watching for the crab's jerky movements in the hall beyond reminded her too much of being caged in the ship, waiting for something to happen.

She snapped out of it, however, when a sentry above finally called out announcing their arrival. 'Land ahoy!'

Relieved at being able to move, she hastily woke everyone, and with Limpy following Sparx, managed to get up to the deck to see the eastern shores of Neratha come into view under the setting sun. Spyro yawned and rubbed one eye clumsily.

'Is it just me, or is something flying towards us?'

A few nearby Skavengers whined with concern at being attacked so soon, but Cynder could see very quickly that they were wind dragons. However, they slowed down and hovered quite a distance away, leading her to guess they were unsure of the situation. As Spyro still seemed half-asleep, she took it upon herself and flew out to meet them.

As Cynder approached the hovering dragons, some of them regarded her with surprise as she was relatively unharmed from her mission. Cynder stopped them from going any further as she called out to them over the high-altitude breeze.

'It's alright! We've captured their captain!'

The wind dragons glanced amongst themselves in surprise, the lead dragoness eyeing her in amazement. She was notable by the long orange frills lining her scalp and flank, and spoke with the force of a hurricane's wind.

'My name is Ralis, Cynder. Our party came looking for you in case you needed assistance... and to contain any possible threat from the Skavenger ship.'

Cynder shook her head, trying to put them at ease. 'All the criminals of the war are housed on that one... along with a lot of treasure to return to the moles they stole from.'

'Indeed?' She gazed at the younger dragoness with respect. 'Then you and Spyro have our gratitude. Speaking of which... where is Spyro?'

'He's still resting on the ship. He's safe under the company of a... well, crab.' At the confused reactions from the party, Cynder grinned with embarrassment. 'It'll make sense once we explain everything to the Guardians.'

Ralis paused awkwardly before signalling the party back towards Warfang. 'Very well... bring word to the ship pilots to follow us. A strong westerly current will speed our approach if we follow its path.'

Cynder blinked in surprise, before nodding and flying back to the ship. _I need to learn more about wind... If I can detect and use air currents like that, it'll be very easy to move over the continent if anything else happens._

* * *

The companions, including two teenage dragons, a dragonfly, a falcon, a limb crab, and a terrified Skavenger captain, attracted many confused and surprised glances from the troops on Warfang's walls, as the massive ship pulled up over the abandoned prison section of the city, lowering its plank to attach to Warfang's second tier. As it was early evening, many moles, cheetahs and some dragons were closing up their stores and witnessed the huge ship lower overhead. While the sight would have terrified them, Ralis' party had passed by beforehand to inform them of the situation, and thus many came up to the tier to watch them disembark. At Spyro, Cynder and Sparx, many cheered for their accomplishment, though Spyro felt rather embarrassed from all the attention. Cynder was grateful for their encouragement, instead of less welcoming gestures she was expecting from the populace. Sparx, of course, enjoyed every moment, raising his arms proudly before returning his attention to the captain, poking Snotty in the back when he froze up in Limpy's presence.

'Sparx...' Spyro warned. 'Don't push it.'

'What?' The dragonfly scowled wryly. 'This guy could've killed you! I'm just getting a little payback.'

Cynder rolled her eyes. 'This isn't payback. This is kicking them when they're down.' She couldn't help but feel pity for the once-fierce captain. 'He hasn't said a word since we brought Limpy with us...'

Hunter was one of the first to greet them as they stepped off the plank. Talon immediately flew to his outstretched arm as the cheetah eyed him expectantly. The hawk relayed a series of soft trills and squawking, and Hunter grinned towards them with approval.

'Well, Spyro. Talon says you did well.'

Spyro immediately thought of his arena battle. 'What? No I didn't! I-'

Talon screeched lightly, and Hunter nodded in agreement. 'You managed to solve the problem without killing any of them. Quite a difficult path... and yet you followed it through. Even if you were somewhat overconfident.'

'Snotty killed some, though...'

Hunter eyed Snotty with unusual disdain. 'And? What do you expect from Skavengers?'

'Yeah... we'd better get Snotty here to the Guardians. They'll want to put him somewhere until his trial – along with his commander cronies.'

Cynder quickly scanned for a nearby guard, and grinned when Clauk approached from the nearest wall. 'Clauk! Perfect timing.'

'Cynder? How... You and... What...?'

She shook her head, in a hurry to get going. 'I'll explain later. Can you get some guards and make sure no Skavengers get off the ship? At least until the Guardians decide what to do.'

Clauk nodded dumbly, still comprehending the Skavenger ship looming before him. 'Uh... yeah, sure.'

Hunter and Talon followed from a distance as they continued. With a painfully slow pace, they made their way up through the tiers up to the Grand Hall, and drew some more gazes from the mole residents along the way. At the sight of the Skavenger, many gazed at him with disdain and even brief hatred. However, many of the younger ones, and even the adults, were simultaneously fascinated and unnerved by the large invertebrate following the procession. Sparx swore he spotted Karrina staring at them from her reception desk, paying particular attention to Snotty as he marched stiffly up the stone steps.

When they finally arrived at the Grand Hall, the doors were slightly ajar, as if the Guardians already had a visitor. Spyro glanced at the two guards, this time fire dragons, who regarded him with respect.

'We've returned from our mission. Snotty, here, is the captain. What should we–?'

The two eyed Snotty with brief disdain, but otherwise ignored Limpy. 'We'll watch him for the moment. Terrador and Cyril are currently meeting with an envoy from the Cheetah village, as well as Volteer, who has returned from his expedition with a young ice dragoness.' The two guards glanced between each other with disapproval.

Spyro frowned at their mistake, but was interrupted by the guard on the right, nodding to Cynder as he did so. 'It would be fitting for you both to report to them now while they're all together. We'll guard the prisoner until Cyril will... process him.'

Sparx gave Spyro one morbid look. 'I have to stay too, don't I?'

Spyro nodded apologetically. 'I hate to say it, but... Limpy is the best form of control over him until he's put away under lock and key. Just... bear with it a bit longer, Sparx.'

The dragonfly folded his arms grudgingly. 'Fine. But you owe me another one, buddy.'

As the guards opened the doors for them, Snotty's mouth dropped slightly at the glimpse to its interior before Spyro and Cynder slipped inside, to be greeted with an interesting sight. The Guardians did indeed have visitors – Volteer, Solaris, Meadow and Shiall. They stared in surprise before Terrador called them over, relief evident as his massive shoulders loosened.

'Spyro, Cynder, thank goodness. Please, come. Volteer has some interesting results to share with you two.'

Meadow and Shiall inclined their heads with brief smiles, before the turned their attention back to the Guardians as Volteer joined them. Solaris glanced at them from the corner of her eye, but otherwise didn't acknowledge them.

Cyril cleared his throat. 'First, though... what of your mission, young ones?'

Spyro grimaced uncomfortably, spurring Cynder to elaborate. 'We made contact with the captain, and we managed to bring him back to stand trial, along with his other commanders responsible for the crimes during the war. They've also brought a lot of treasure... but I'm not sure if all the moles' belongings are in there.'

The three Guardians stared in brief amazement, before smiling with approval. 'Well done!' Terrador boomed boisterously. 'But Spyro, you look like something's troubling you.'

Spyro nodded reluctantly. 'Yes... the Elraith... it found us while we were on the ship. We had to work with the captain to kill it.'

Volteer immediately exclaimed with disappointment. 'What? What of its body? Did you recover anything from it? I was so looking forward–'

Cynder shook her head. 'When it died, it disappeared. Kind of like the magic crystals do when we use them.'

Terrador inclined his head. 'We'll have to hear more about that later. It looks like the mission was particularly rough on you, Spyro. Did the Elraith...?'

Spyro shook his head quickly. 'No... but I did take a beating in the arena. From the captain himself... that was how we got him to surrender like he did. A wager.'

'You lost to a Skavenger?' It was not Cyril, but Solaris who spoke. 'How is that possible.'

She framed it as a statement rather than a question, and Spyro tightened his jaw in annoyance. 'Can we not go into that right now? I'm still rather exhausted from both the fight and the Elraith, so I'd like to get home as soon as possible.'

Cyril nodded stiffly. 'Yes, yes... we'll let you go soon enough. But you may want to know that Meadow and Shiall, here' – he lowered his head toward the cheetahs – 'will be staying as guests in the council chambers while they assist Volteer and Mason with the new training device he and Solaris recovered from the ruins below.'

Spyro's fatigue lessened as he perked up enthusiastically. 'A training device? Where is it now?'

'Currently with me!' Volteer said. 'I'm still getting used to its power. I cannot say much now, but in the future, it will certainly make elemental training more convenient for everyone.'

Shiall also grinned eagerly. 'I look forward to seeing the thing too. An artifact from the first Dragon Empire... and I get to study it up close!'

Solaris regarded her flatly. 'Why do you care? Cheetahs can't use magic, can they?'

Shiall shrugged. 'Well... no... but you're kinda missing the point here, young lady. It's all about discovery! Where's your sense of adventure, hmm?'

'Hmph.'

Meadow was somewhat distracted as he spotted Hunter outside. 'This may be over my head, my friends. I was assigned as a bodyguard, but now that we're here... I may join Hunter and assist him in his duties.' He glanced up at the Guardians. 'I trust Shiall will be safe in your, uh... fine company?'

'Of course,' Cyril affirmed. 'Even though there are still stray Grublins running about, Warfang stands strong. And we have no enemies within the walls... well, not counting those drooling mongrels.'

Spyro frowned slightly. 'Don't be so quick to judge them, Cyril. You haven't even met Snotty yet.'

'...Perhaps, Spyro. Perhaps.'

Terrador curled his wings before speaking. 'It is decided, then. Spyro, Cynder, you're free to leave... Solaris, do as you please. Shiall and Volteer will begin study of the... "conduit", immediately. If you wish to join them, Solaris, please do not interrupt their work.' He raised his head toward the front gates. 'Guards! Send the prisoner in. Preferably with an escort.'

Volteer and Shiall moved towards the gates as they opened, staring at Snotty for a few moments as he entered the Hall with a still-gobsmacked expression as he looked around. However, with Limpy out of sight, he quickly eyed Hunter with a cheeky grin.

'Heh, yeh skylubbers and pussycats be formin' an alliance, eh? No wonder yeh both be so high an' mighty. Mm... shiny stuff! Now this trip be worth it.'

Hunter narrowed his eyes continually as they went. 'Watch your tongue, dog. Don't even think of doing anything in the Guardians' presence... or your sentence will be all the more severe.'

'Oh yeah, me trial. Eh-heh. Wooops.'

Spyro could tell that cheetahs and Skavengers didn't get along easily, as Hunter was in an uncharacteristically foul mood in his proximity to the canine. Then he remembered that Hunter had been their captive at the same time he was; and must have escaped on his own. Hunter's serious scowl only seemed to amuse Snotty, humming happily as he went along. This unnerved the Guardians slightly as the two approached, Cyril most notably bracing himself as if Skavengers were waiting in ambush.

As they went, a small group of moles scurried through the open doors, and approached Spyro and Cynder expectantly carrying a medium crate.

'Um... yes?' Spyro said. The lead mole gave the two a short bow.

'Do you wish for your armour to be taken and repaired again?'

They both nodded gratefully, discarding the weight eagerly and depositing the pieces in the crate; the moles bowing before heading out.

Hunter shoved Snotty before the Guardians as they approached before doubling back, and the pirate gave him an annoyed glance before looking up to the three large dragons, not in the slightest bit intimidated by their defensive postures and much larger size.

'So, yeh be the bigger skylubbers, eh? So dem little ones be sayin'–'

Cyril cut him off with a swift stomp. 'Speak only when spoken to, prisoner! You have some nerve addressing us so.'

Snotty shut his jaw, but didn't lose the cheeky glint in his eyes.

Terrador cleared his throat after a moment of awkward silence. 'You do realise why you're here? Snotty, is it?'

The pirate spoke slowly, still eyeing Cyril as if he was a bomb waiting to go off. 'They be the shenanigans during the War? With me and me crew pillaging refugees while rescuin' 'em. Sound about right?'

'Well... yes. I have it on Cynder's authority that you are willing to answer for your crimes under our laws, and return the supplies you stole from our Mole allies; or monetary equivalents?'

Snotty grinned. 'Aye. There be more'n enough treasure in there for yeh wee mole friends.'

'And how many of your crew are here to be similarly processed?'

Snotty blinked for a moment, using his only hand in an attempt to count to himself. 'There be seven Commanders, five leaders an' five soldiers. And two annoyin' birds. Oh an' 'dere may be a few ghosts in our cargo hold, if you wanna ask 'em, eh?'

Cyril only narrowed his eyes at the attempt at humour, while Terrador nodded awkwardly.

'Yes... well. There's nothing left except for you to come with me, Snotty.' Terrador strode forward off his dais, to Cyril's chagrin as the Ice Guardian bristled his spiky frill.

'Terrador, let me take him. I'll see to it he never sees the light of day again–'

Terrador shook his head without looking at him. 'I know, Cyril. Your bitterness has clouded your judgement in this matter. Snotty has confessed his crimes and is willing to pay for them; which is more than I expected. So – I'll handle the judgement of the Skavengers, not you.' As Cyril glared at him, the Earth Guardian sighed with resignation. 'You can handle the supplies if you wish, but please control yourself, Cyril.'

Cyril fell silent, but his icy stare didn't leave Snotty as the two made their way out the front doors. Snotty eyed the carvings on the inside of the gate for several seconds before Hunter shoved him again to keep moving. As they left, Hunter and Cyril both inclined their heads, as if a small weight had been lifted as the Skavenger departed.

'I understand your feelings, Cyril,' the cheetah murmured. 'I have a bad feeling about having these pirates in our city.'

'Maybe you just didn't expect them to cooperate?' Spyro suggested.

'... Perhaps. Actually, yes. And such a mangy, ugly creature, but... ugh. Nevermind.'

Cyril thrummed with displeasure as he made his way out to inspect the docked Skavenger ship. 'While I'm pleased you two accomplished your mission with minimal casualties, I still cannot abide that Snotty creature. Perhaps you should think twice before agreeing to such a dangerous wager next time... if there will ever be. Bah. Such impudence!' He growled to himself. 'I pray the trial locks him away for good. That one is dangerous; and I've killed many of their largest commanders in my time. None of them had the same... wildness in their eyes.'

He paused one last time to glance at the young dragons. 'Ah yes. Your reward will be delivered to your house within the next day. It will be well-deserved.'

Spyro inclined his head thankfully, while Cynder smiled with anticipation.

As the Guardian departed, only Hunter was left. After a few moments of self-reflection, Spyro spoke up awkwardly.

'Um... Hunter? Thanks again for letting Talon come with us.' He smiled at the perched hawk appreciatively. 'He's a very resourceful animal. Things could have gotten messier if it wasn't for him and Sparx.'

Hunter chuckled lightly as Talon stared at him as if slightly offended. 'Animal, indeed? Then you still have much to learn about him, young dragon. The Great Hawks' assistance has saved our people on multiple occasions.' He glanced towards Sparx outside the door. 'But I don't wish to keep you any longer. Go, get some rest. Hopefully your lives will return to normal within the next few days, so long as the trial proceeds without incident.'

'When will the trial be?' Cynder asked.

'If Cyril does his job efficiently? The day after tomorrow, at the earliest. Though I suspect many moles will want to attend, especially some of the unfortunate refugees who suffered at their hands. But the moles, like Cyril, are quite punctual, and will organise themselves quickly.' He grinned with slight maliciousness. 'Ah, I wonder how Snotty will fare under their combined judgement...'

Hunter strode out without another word, with Spyro and Cynder hurrying down the steps. Sparx followed them, but no one paid the crab any mind, as it seemed to have left on its own. The three companions glided over the tiers to their gold-red building, and swiftly retired to their respective rooms after a long mission.

* * *

'So this is it?'

In a small, square, but well-lit cellar, Shiall couldn't contain her fascination with the enchanted orb, her reaction amusing Solaris to no end. The young dragoness still couldn't fathom her fascination in an object she would have absolutely no use for.

Volteer nodded eagerly, sharing in her enthusiasm. Solaris had examined the pedestal long enough to know it didn't have any meaningful test engraved on it.

'You do realise this object is inert for any non-dragons? You should concentrate on examining the documents we recovered.' _I thought I was supposed to observe them working, not urge them _to_ work._

Shiall scowled a little at her. 'Why is this one so serious, Volteer? I was under the impression she enjoyed discovery of ancient history... given her efforts to recover this orb.'

'If I had to guess, Shiall...' Volteer began hesitantly, '...it's that she helped for purely practical purposes. No real enjoyment in discovery itself, unfortunately...'

Solaris remained silent as she glanced over to Shiall's pile of scrolls she'd unpacked. She waited for a few moments before throwing her head up in frustration.

'Argh! If you two aren't going to stop cooing over that thing, I'm going to get some real work done.'

Shiall immediately perked her ears up and hurried over, gathering the scrolls carefully and pulling them away from her protectively.

'Please, please don't touch my things, Solaris. These are all I have to show for my scholarly interests.'

Solaris twisted her muzzle in annoyance. 'So what am I even here for?'

Shiall and Volteer contemplated the answer, but seeing as she was only interested in working rather than examining out of interest, Volteer cleared his throat somewhat nervously.

'I would suggest, my dear that you go and get some rest. We've both had a long couple of days, after all... especially considering the number of Shadows we encountered.'

'Please. The most difficult part was listening to you pine after that dead Dreadwing.'

Shiall raised a furry brow slightly, but Volteer shrugged. 'I recall you wanting to see Spyro about something before we left? Perhaps you can catch him before he retires for the night.'

Solaris glanced at the floor thoughtfully. '... I suppose I'd better hurry, then. It's already been a couple of hours since he returned.'

The Guardian nodded with encouragement. 'With speed, young dragoness!'

As Solaris hurried up and out the cellar, Shiall grinned up at the Guardian cheekily. 'You just wanted to get rid of her, didn't you?'

Volteer's attention was now back on the orb, wrapping one paw around distantly around it. 'Well... yes. Unorthodox as it was, I need to concentrate... to unlock the full limits and uses of such a magical device...'

* * *

Cynder had gotten a couple of hours' sleep before waking up to the setting sun's rays painting the stone outside once again. It felt good to have a place to rest – a haven of sorts. She'd never felt like that so much before. Even when the Dragon Temple was intact, she didn't feel like she belonged there. Here, helping the dragons rebuild and staying with Spyro was probably the closest she'd get to having a real home. She continued to watch the scene through her small window, listening to Spyro's calm breaths next door to help calm her body and head. From the length of the sun's rays, she guessed it was nearly twelve-Solus; signalling the beginning of night-time, and silently congratulated herself on remembering how the system worked.

However, her meditation was interrupted by a rush of wings, and a heavy landing outside. She approached the door curiously, to be greeted by Clauk.

'Hi, Clauk. Is there something wrong?'

The earth guard grinned lightly as he shook his head. 'Not really, Cynder. My arrival shouldn't always mean something's wrong or that you're needed. No, it's just a friendly visit...' He glanced around eagerly. 'Is Spyro around? I actually wanted to ask both of you.'

'"Both?"' Sparx's buzzing announced him waking up. 'Why doesn't anyone want to talk to _me_?'

Clauk regarded him uncomfortably. 'Well, maybe you can come too.'

Cynder tilted her head curiously. 'Alright... I'll get Spyro. You can come in, if you want.'

As she left, Clauk strode through the door to admire the interior for a few moments as he sat on the enormous gold cushions. Spyro and Cynder were back quickly, with Spyro rubbing an eye.

'Oh, hi... Clauk. Sorry, but we can't offer any food, only some water, if you'd like...'

The larger dragon shook his head. 'No thanks, Spyro. I'm here because... well, I wanted to invite you over to my place...'

The younger dragon's faces fell guiltily. 'Sorry we never came around,' Cynder said, but Clauk brushed off their apology.

'That's fine; you're both still getting used to living around here – not to mention your education and recent mission. But about that mission... some of us wanted to thank you in person, and I hosted this gathering for you, to be honest.' As they stared at him with surprise, he got up and lowered his head towards them. 'You don't have to come if you don't want to, but my friends and I merely wanted to show our gratitude. If you come, you can leave whenever you like.'

While Spyro and Cynder contemplated their response, Sparx grunted. 'So that's why you didn't want to ask me. Can't say I fancy a whole party full of big, fat smelly dragons. And I'm guessing there's no food for a dragonfly?'

Clauk scrunched his muzzle at the insult, but shook his massive head, to which he sighed and wrapped his hands behind his head. 'Well, I can't blame ya. Those butterflies are hard enough for me to catch; let alone you guys doing the same thing.' He flew back to Spyro's room and ducked back under the book he was sleeping under. 'I'll just be here, dozing... dreaming of dragonfly parties...'

Spyro smiled, and nodded up at the elder dragon. 'That sounds nice, Clauk. Though I... we've never been to a party before... so I guess I'm a bit nervous.'

Cynder grinned cheekily. 'Why? Compared to Malefor's lair, this is nothing.'

Clauk nodded in understanding, as he turned towards the entrance. 'With all that's happened in your lives, it's no surprise. Come! It's not far to walk.'

* * *

They only had to walk past the Water district before they spotted the distinct clay Orc statue Clauk had described; it was indeed ugly, as Clauk had accentuated its head to have obvious eyes and teeth, which didn't look like the already mangy creature as it is. It was also painted in far more colours than a real one would have, making it look like a giant flying grublin. Though it was, admittedly, a useful landmark; distinct against the rest of the moderately populated Earth district and its stone formations, along with fields of flowers, trees, and running streams. Spyro took in the air; it felt slightly fresher than that in the Fire District. It seemed that some Earth and Wind dragons spent much of their lives cultivating the gardens, given that one on the other side of the stone path encompassed two whole mansion blocks.

After passing the statue, they spotted several other dragons were already waiting for them, surrounding an enormous circular stone table, with some meat already steaming on great silver platters. Of them, Spyro recognised Areth – the librarian, and Cynder recognised two Earth dragon brothers whom she'd worked with before. They waved at her, earning an embarrassed smile as they approached.

'Uh... Clauk? Why is Areth here?'

Clauk glanced down at Spyro with slight confusion. 'She's a friend; why else?'

'Oh...right...'

The brothers approached them eagerly, bowing their heads briefly. The younger dragon – with yellow eyes and an impressive musculature – spoke first. 'So it's Cynder again! And Spyro? Funny seeing you here. I would have gone myself, but before I knew it, you two were already off...'

The elder glanced at Spyro gratefully. He was taller, but less bulky than his brother, and shared his eye colour. 'We may have been on the list for the mission, so... what he's _trying _to say is thank you. Few of us know how to deal with Skavengers short of fighting them.'

Spyro nodded politely, gazing up at Tython with slight envy. 'Uh... it was nothing.'

Clauk stood aside and tilted his head toward the younger one. 'His name's Tython, and the older guy here is Tytus.' He shared a grin with them. 'Try to remember. We often swap guard duties to share it together; otherwise they'd be too boring most of the time.'

Tython nodded. 'I'll say. Without those rock targets outside the wall, we'd have nothing to do.'

'Though the view never gets old...' Tytus added.

The three larger dragons made way back to the table and made space for the two younger dragons. Before they approached, Clauk pounded the ground with one claw, and two blocks slid up to make tall seats for them. Spyro grinned with fascination as he hopped up, while Cynder's mouth immediately began to water at the meat in front of her.

'Skinks? On sticks? Wow! How did you get them?'

Areth cleared her throat. 'Well, Tytus brought the raw meat, while I prepared it with many of the spices and herbs from my garden.' She paused stiffly. 'Oh, and Alaia brought the sticks from the market.'

Skinks weren't the only item on the menu. Some fried bloatfish were similarly prepared, and upon tasting one, Spyro dug in quickly. Areth shifted away from him before he slowed down to not spray anyone with liquid.

'Wait, Alaia's here?' Cynder spoke up. 'Just how many guests do you have?'

They only just began to hear some voices from Clauk's house. He retracted from the table and gestured for them to follow as Spyro finished his fish.

'Alaia's family is here too. Perhaps you should say hello before we continue?'

As Spyro nodded, he thought back to his classes. 'Her family, huh? Well, I know she has a father, at least. I wonder if she did any study while we were gone?'

Cynder rolled her eyes. 'Not everyone loves it like you do, Spyro.'

Clauk's house was lined with grooved markings, though instead of them reflecting a child's work, Clauk had carved rather elaborate depictions of trees and wind into the side of his grey walls, with green tiles covering the single roof of the two-storey building. It also had a large balcony facing them at the table, with a similar sundial to theirs. They circled around to the entrance, and as Clauk pushed open the doors, they spotted Alaia and an adult wind dragon, who Spyro presumed was her mother. As they came in, Alaia exclaimed softly as Tython followed them in.

'Dad...' She covered her face slightly in shame. 'Not now...'

Tython only tilted his head at her as he joined them. 'What? What did I do this time, Corla?'

Corla chuckled lightly as she nudged his head playfully. 'She's just a bit too shy, my dear.'

Spyro studied them with brief surprise as he and Cynder joined them. 'So Tython's your father?' As she nodded, he spoke further. 'What's wrong?'

She groaned reluctantly, as they were still in earshot of the couple. 'It's just embarrassing for me when they're around each other.'

Her parents regarded her obliviously, before Corla waved at her. 'Go on, go play with your friends, Ali.'

'Mom!'

Cynder hurried up the stairs for the others to follow, to get Alaia away from the somewhat awkward exchange. They found themselves on the balcony; but since it was a dragon's house, the high terrace put them well out of earshot of the party below.

'You shouldn't feel bad, Alaia,' Cynder encouraged. 'It's actually nice to see a family of dragons together and happy. And if you were sent away because of the war... that means you haven't seen him for three years, right?'

Alaia raised her scaly brow as she nodded. 'I suppose so. It's nice to be with him again, but...maybe "happy" is too strong a word. We're lucky to be together... but I think Mom and Dad are a bit _too _grateful since we came back.'

The way she said that perked Cynder's interest. 'If you don't mind me asking... what do you mean?'

'...I'd rather not say.' She glanced over the balcony. 'I'd rather look at that silly statue Clauk has down there. Or go through Areth's garden across the road... just thinking about it makes me shudder.'

Spyro's jaw dropped slightly. 'Areth's garden? You mean that huge one?'

'Yeah. Why? What's so surprising?'

Spyro shook his head in disbelief. 'It's just... she seemed so... business-like, in the library. I didn't think she'd care for something like a garden, or art.'

Alaia smiled. 'Areth's nicer than you think. I've been in there, and she's quite hospitable when showing it to other people. Besides, her "business-like" attitude actually helps her keep the whole thing healthy and clean, since she does everything by a schedule. Like watering, heating, directing water flow...'

Spyro blinked as he looked around. 'Wait, where'd Cynder go?'

At that, Alaia's face almost turned white. 'Oh no... Don't tell me she went...'

Spyro strode back to look for her, but Alaia hissed a warning. 'No, don't...'

Cynder came back up slowly before Spyro went down, but her face was very flushed, only apparent through her silver facial markings. After examining her for a moment, Alaia smacked her face with her claw. 'You saw, didn't you?'

Cynder took a moment to speak. 'Well... um... uh... yes. I, uh... see what you mean now.'

Alaia sighed with resignation; implying this wasn't the first time. 'Well, believe me; it's been a lot worse at home.'

Spyro opened his mouth curiously, but Alaia perched on the edge of the balcony to glide down to the table. 'Well? Let's have some more food. I haven't had any yet, and I'd like to try one of those skinks before Mom gets away from Dad and tells me not to eat junk food.'

* * *

The time passed quickly as they settled down. Though Spyro and Cynder spent most of the party with Alaia, they also got along with Tytus and Tython quite easily, though Spyro sometimes joined Clauk and Areth as they talked together often. Spyro most often asked about how Earth dragons shifted stone and how it could be used, while Cynder talked to Alaia and Corla similarly about wind. As it grew dark, all the food was quickly consumed, though Clauk still had other refreshments in store. Aside from the barrel of water the brothers brought from the canals, Clauk balanced a large bowl between his curled wings, carried by two of his wing spikes poking through opposite handles on the bowl. Tytus also gathered smaller stone bowls from inside and balanced a stack of them in one claw. As they placed the bowls on the clear table, everyone took in the smell; a strong, but sweet flavour.

'What is it?' Spyro asked curiously.

Areth eyed all three youngsters carefully. 'It's purified Grove Nectar; extracted from the Silver River as it separates and disperses into the ocean. It is a very powerful drink... and perhaps too strong for you young ones.'

'But!' Clauk continued, '... it's probably the best tasting drink you'll find in Warfang. If you want to try it, now's your chance.' He eyed Alaia briefly. 'But go easy on it, OK? Just take small mouthfuls. It even goes to my head sometimes.'

Before they could begin, however, they were interrupted by an imposing presence which immediately halted the festive activity.

'Spyro. So you're here.'

Everyone fell silent as Solaris approached their table cautiously. She looked around before she eyed Spyro impatiently. 'I was going to try and continue our discussion from before... but you seem otherwise preoccupied.' She groaned. 'Again.'

The brothers and Clauk eyed her warily as Spyro and Cynder excused themselves to approach her.

'Can we make this quick, Solaris?' Cynder sighed with similar impatience. 'We're having a nice time here.'

'I'm sure,' Solaris answered flatly. 'But enough of that. I want to know about...' – she glanced at the other guests guardedly – "...well, "that element" and your experience with it before I get to work.'

Spyro jerked his head for them to follow him inside. Spyro and Cynder sat on the sunset-coloured cushions, while Solaris remained standing.

'I would first like to know how Convexity as an element operates. Then I want to know its effects on the body-'

'Wait a minute!' Spyro cut in. 'Why do you care so much about Convexity? I've already said I'd rather forget about it. It... represents a darker time in our lives, and I'd rather not think about it more than I need to.'

Solaris narrowed her eyes in annoyance. 'So is it no longer a threat?'

'What? No!' Cynder answered quickly. 'I mean... we don't know.'

'Then you can't ignore it, can you?' She sighed heavily. 'Just tell me what I want to know, and I'll leave you both to waste time partying and playing around.'

Spyro twisted his lips slightly, but talked all the same.

'Convexity – I first found it when Cynder tried to bring the Dark Master here the first time...' he spoke gently as he glanced at her sympathetically. 'It's capable of opening portals and connecting to our world for limited periods of time. Though I don't know what controls where and for how long these portals appear.'

'But what _is_ Convexity?' Solaris asked directly.

'It acts as an airlock between this world and another – which Ignitus called the Dark Realms.' He lowered his head as he recalled the sight. 'And that's probably where the Elraith came from.'

Solaris nodded. 'And the element itself? What can you tell me about it?'

Spyro thought for a moment. 'Well, it doesn't use normal magical energy, as both Cynder and I can use it regardless of how exhausted we are. But we could only use it after fighting and killing enemies within a certain amount of time. Once we do use it, it can kill very quickly; only trolls and giant orcs are tough enough to interrupt our breath streams.'

'Is there any defence against it?'

Cynder shook her head. 'Not that we've seen. But Malefor used an elemental shield that seemed like it was Convexity... and could only be broken by it. Normal magic doesn't work.'

Solaris frowned, appearing slightly disturbed. 'Troubling. How does it affect the body?'

'Grublins?' Cynder began. 'They just get vaporised. Orcs last a little longer, but it's basically the same for them and the bigger ones.'

Spyro spoke reluctantly, guilt clear on his face. 'When I used it against Gaul, the beam weakened him as I kept using it. When he was nearly... dead... I used a fury attack, which turned him to stone, and destroyed him.'

'So it turns flesh to stone...' Solaris glanced away as she pondered the implications. 'And you're sure that you, Spyro and Malefor are the only dragons who can use it?'

Spyro shook his head. 'Only that we know. There might be other dragons out there. We just don't know.'

'... I'm starting to wonder if you're sure of anything...'

Cynder cleared her throat. 'There is... one more thing. I think Convexity made me transform when I was... under Malefor's control. But when Spyro beat me, I was somehow freed from it.' She glanced at him thankfully. 'I don't know what you did, Spyro, but I'm glad you were there to stop me.'

'Ahem!' Solaris looked between them grimly. 'You should call this to the Guardians' attention – or the entire city's**. **A power, against which there is little to no defence, is a serious threat. **'**

Spyro stared at her miserably; not wanting to stir the subject up for the Guardians to worry about; not to mention everyone else. 'But what do you expect them to do? There's barely enough knowledge about the base elements; let alone Convexity. And we've both looked through the library to know there's nothing there. The Guardians don't know, either.'

Solaris shook her head firmly, standing up with conviction. 'There has to be something. If Malefor was the first to use it, then there must be a record _somewhere _of this element. I know what I must do now – regardless of whether either of you help or not.'

'Wait, Solaris!' Cynder urged as the blue dragoness began to leave, as much for her own peace of mind as for hers. 'Malefor was the last one to use Convexity; and the one behind all wars since he turned on the dragons. Cyril said that he won't be a threat for a long time – if at all. As long as Spyro and I are around, we can stop him if he ever comes back.' She sighed miserably. 'Can't we just move on?'

Solaris didn't answer, but still strode out the door silently. They sat there in disbelief, intense apprehension rolling through their stomachs.

'She's wrong...' Cynder said to herself sadly. 'We can't keep running from Convexity forever. I don't want to keep running from Malefor anymore! I'm tired... so tired of it...'

Spyro reached out and touched her arm gently. 'Maybe she is wrong. She hasn't been here as long as the rest of us; she's just shocked to hear about something so dangerous existing. And don't worry about Malefor, either; so long as we keep improving ourselves, we'll be able to stop him if he ever escapes. We beat him once; and we can do it again.'

Cynder calmed herself a little and smiled gratefully. 'Thanks, Spyro. I guess... once she finds nothing about Convexity, like you... I hope she'll drop the subject.'

Spyro nodded silently before getting up. _Not to mention she probably won't be able to convince everyone that Convexity exists without proof._ 'Come on. The party's still on.'

* * *

While they were talking, they found that the nectar was barely touched; the other guests had waited for them to come back. Areth was even using small flames to keep it warm when they came out of the house.

'There you are!' Clauk called. 'Come on, we should begin. I don't want to waste this batch.'

Suddenly the idea of a strong drink was more appealing to both of the young dragons, and Spyro dipped his bowl in first with a moderate serving. He sniffed it curiously before slurping a large mouthful, and his eyes immediately shot open.

'Ah! Wow, that's... wow.'

Tython grinned with approval as Cynder took the next serving. It tasted very rich and was far thicker than water; and strong enough that she could only take small sips. It seemed to affect Spyro a bit more, as his head swayed a little every now and then.

When the bowl had been all but finished, Corla retracted herself from the table, and her family soon joined her as they stood to leave. 'Thank you for the invite, Clauk, and thank you, Spyro and Cynder. We wish you luck in your future studies! And maybe you can help speed Alaia along? Especially you, Spyro – I've heard you're quite the bookworm.'

Spyro looked away in embarrassment as they inclined their heads in farewell, the younger dragoness groaning with similar discomfort, but waved at them as the three dragons took off towards the district's inner ring. Areth exhaled with satisfaction and moved to leave as well.

'As usual, you host a fine gathering, Clauk. But I'm afraid I need to return to my dwelling to check a few things before tomorrow.'

She glanced down at the two young dragons with apparent indifference, but her muzzle curled up ever so slightly. 'You two are very capable despite your age; you should be proud. I wish you luck in determining your own paths.'

'Thank you,' they both replied politely as she trotted across the pavement, Spyro's response being a little delayed.

Tytus was still slurping a little nectar when they returned, and Clauk sighed with satisfaction. 'Well, I'm glad to see we finished it all.' He glanced back over his shoulder towards Areth's dwelling with a fixated gaze, before his eyes darted to Spyro. 'Uh... Spyro? Can I steal you away for a second? You probably need a little help there...'

Spyro nodded, still a little lightheaded, as he followed the older dragon inside. As it was dark, only now did Spyro notice the open shafts in the roof to let in moonlight; as well as some hidden glowing fungus stalks built into the base of the building.

'Hmm... Spyro? Are you alright?' Clauk observed as Spyro swayed a little before he sat down.

'Mm... yeah... I just need to sit still for a minute.'

Clauk eyed him with slight concern, before gathering a small bucket with some more water. 'Here. It might clear your head a little.'

Spyro sipped the water, though he didn't feel thirsty. His head did clear slightly, but he still had trouble focusing on objects around him before his vision blurred. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out. After a minute or two, he opened his eyes to examine Clauk curiously. 'Oh, sorry. Did you want to talk?'

'I did, but... it feels a bit silly now that I think about it.'

'Silly?' Spyro felt the statement felt out of place, considering he was talking to an adult. 'You can talk to me, Clauk. I don't normally make fun of anyone; except Sparx, of course.'

Clauk sat down next to him, making the young dragon feel physically small, but somehow it felt the opposite when he talked. Like a student to a teacher.

'It's Areth. I wanted to know... what do you think of her?'

Spyro grinned self-consciously. 'Well, she must be nicer than from my impression in the library. Was she even on the shortlist for our mission?'

'No; being the librarian is kind of a full-time thing for her.'

Spyro nodded to himself. 'Then she appears rather serious; but she's nice, deep down. Especially to you, if she helped that much with your party without asking anything in return.'

'Yeah...'

Spyro tilted his head curiously. 'How long have you known her?'

Clauk smiled fondly. 'Since I was in training to be a guard; she was already spending all her time in the library as the old librarian's apprentice.' He chose his next words cautiously. 'That was Ignitus; believe it or not.'

Spyro's face fell a little, but shook himself out of it, instead trying to picture Ignitus poring over books in a library. 'Funny. I thought Volteer would have been better for that job.'

Clauk huffed with amusement. 'It requires both wisdom and intelligence. Besides, Volteer prefers to discover new things that cataloguing history.' He then cleared his throat uncomfortably. 'The point I was trying to make... well... Areth... for a few years, I feel like... we're quite a bit more than friends.' As Spyro raised his scaly brow in surprise, he shifted uncomfortably. 'I just haven't worked up the courage to show it.'

There was a moment of confused silence. 'Uh... why tell me this?'

Clauk glanced down at him hopefully. 'I was hoping you had some advice for me.'

'What?' Spyro couldn't help but laugh nervously. 'You realise you're many times older than me, right? What makes you think I know anything about love?'

'Well... you and Cynder...'

The way he said it so quickly caught him off guard. 'Me and Cynder... what?'

'Aren't you more than friends? Quite a bit more, if I'm not mistaken...'

The young dragon twisted his muzzle with confusion. 'Who told you that?'

'No one.'

'But... then... how is it so obvious?'

'Well...' Clauk began reluctantly. 'I'm guessing Volteer will teach this in a future class, but... dragon pairs who are pledged to each other always form a bond as part of that pledge. Since we are sensitive to magic, this bond is easily sensed by other dragons.' He examined Spyro seriously. 'I've felt many such bonds with dragon pairs and families before – like Corla and Tython, but the one coming from you and Cynder is just as strong as a fully formed bond... maybe even more so.'

Spyro was staring ahead, out the door, his jaw slightly open. Only now did he realise that all the dragons they'd met most likely knew about their bond. Including Ignitus.

_**Do not view this chain as a hindrance... but allow it to be a reminder of the bond you two share. Your destinies are now intertwined. And that thought is a hopeful one. **_

'All dragons can feel it?'

Clauk nodded. 'All that can feel magic.'

Spyro suddenly felt nervous; as if an additional responsibility had been given to him. But at the same time, he felt privileged. Through the welling emotions, he could only exhale. 'Wow...'

'So I want to know... what have you two been through for this bond to have formed?'

Spyro found it hard to speak, his head and heart tingling pleasantly. 'We were just... there for each other. And throughout... the attack on the temple, Malefor, war... we stood by each other's side. I... don't know what else to say.'

Clauk eyed him with admiration. 'Well... I'll just say you're both very lucky to have each other. I suppose... I'll be there for Areth. Maybe that's all that's needed.'

Spyro raised his head. 'Then I guess I can only say good luck.'

* * *

Cynder eyed Tytus somewhat nervously as she sat with him, one lingering question still present in her mind since the party started. She fought with herself for a few moments before she spoke up, voicing her thoughts.

'Tytus... I... I just wanted to thank you again. You and your brother.' He listened politely as she continued. 'Everyone's been so nice to me... but it still feels... wrong, somehow.'

Tytus paused when she stopped. 'So... what are you asking?'

'Why? Why aren't I being punished? Or hated? Especially after everything I did...'

Tytus looked down at her sympathetically. 'You don't know exactly what you did. To be honest, most dragons don't either.' He glanced up at the Grand Hall. 'Though why is pretty obvious. These past three years, Ignitus was always with us, and defended your name whenever others slandered it based on your past allegiance. He has a way with words, that old guy. By the time you and Spyro were found, most within Warfang trusted you just as much as Spyro. After all, he believed in you enough to save you.'

'But...' Cynder gulped, almost unable to ask. But she had to know. 'What about the dragons I killed? How can I ever be forgiven for that? Because I–'

The tall earth dragon shook his head. 'No. You didn't kill dragons... not directly, if what I've heard is true. It might also explain why no one here directly lost someone to you – despite your attacks close to our northeast border.'

'What?' Cynder answered in disbelief. All the pain and anxiety churning within her stomach had dissipated in the face of her incredulity. 'How? How is it possible?'

Tytus glanced around warily, as if checking for eavesdroppers. 'I know you need to know the truth, for your own sanity's sake. Before Spyro met Ignitus, one dragon continued to fight you and your Ape forces even after our crushing defeat in the Silent Plains. That was the first time we ever saw you fly into battle; and you only sought out each Guardian; one by one. We kept fighting up until you captured Terrador, who was already exhausted from fighting for many hours. The remaining warriors were forced to retreat and go into hiding.'

Cynder managed to speak despite her sorrow over the dragon's loss. 'So you were a soldier that fought the Apes? Your brother too?'

Tytus nodded slowly. 'Yes... but forgive me if I prefer to forget those times.'

Cynder nodded empathetically, turning the subject back a bit. 'When did... that battle... happen?'

'Eleven years ago.' He examined her briefly. 'You would have only been four years old... and yet that creature is what you became.'

'So what happened after that? What was I doing?'

Tytus shifted miserably, as if sifting through many painful memories. 'You scoured the lands with your armies to bring the population under control... and tried to root out and destroy our hidden dragon dwellings.'

Cynder stared at him for a moment. 'Wait... what do you mean, "tried"? If the Guardians were no longer around, and Ignitus stayed hidden from me all that time... who was left to stop me?'

'One,' Tytus stated with reverence. 'He was a young general who led us into that battle. And given the chance, he could have stopped you then and there, but your Ape armies knew this. Before you even appeared, they swarmed him and kept him occupied; just to keep him away from you.'

'What... what did he do after I captured the Guardians?'

'He pursued you. Not closely; not with your speed. But...' He sighed sadly, sorrow echoing through his deep voice. 'Whenever you found dragons, he caught up to you to hold you off long enough for the dragons to get away. When he did fight you, he let you retreat instead of killing you. Somehow, like Ignitus... he knew your actions were not your fault.'

Cynder guessed what happened to him, from the gloomy tone entrenched in Tytus' voice. 'He's dead, isn't he?'

Her chest tightened as Tytus nodded. 'Yes... but not by your claw. Not in battle, either. He'd moved and fought you and the Dark Armies for so long that he... succumbed to exhaustion. It was as if he wanted to atone for his failure to protect the Guardians ... with his life.'

While she already felt she knew more than she wanted, she needed to ask one more thing.

'Who was he?'

Tytus glanced up at the glinting stars under the dark evening sky. 'I don't know. None of us knew his name, or what type of dragon he was; even after asking the Guardians as well. He was known only as the Fallen Star.' He sighed, trying to sweep the disappointment out of his mind. 'We could have used him these past few years. I wish I had known him; he saved many lives before he died.'

He fell silent; not wanting to speak further. Cynder could tell that he didn't know more than that, either. Whoever this dragon was, Cynder silently thanked him.

_It seems I definitely killed one of you... but... if you could have stopped me, you chose to spare me. You knew I wasn't in control... and you sacrificed yourself for me, and all those dragons._ Despite her thoughts, tears formed at the edge of her eyes. _I wish you were still around so I could tell you. I wish... I wish I'd never been taken. I wish that Malefor never existed, that all the dragons and other peoples didn't suffer and die by the thousands..._

She slowly rubbed the tears away, not letting the guilt take over again; trying to remember Spyro's words of encouragement, when she confessed her feelings.

_**You are an amazing dragon, Cynder. Don't ever doubt that, no matter what you did in the past, what you've already done should be enough for everyone to know what you truly are. And I want to help you become what you were meant to be.**_

Cynder nodded to herself, warmth flooding through her at the memory. _I wish for so many things... things that can't be brought back. But... I can do something now. I can help them. All of them... so that something like Malefor – and the Deep War – never happens again._


	14. The Scion

Chapter 12

The Scion

* * *

After gathering a small contingent of guards, along with some surprisingly willing Cheetah warriors – including Hunter and Meadow – Terrador returned to the docks to oversee the processing of the prisoners. Eyes were trained on all exits of the ship, including the cannon ports and blasted holes dotting the ship's underside. The cheetahs were all too eager for this task; from what little Terrador knew of their history, he knew they would not trust each other any time soon, and sighed deeply. 'It seems the Skavengers will forever be trusted by no one.'

Hunter nodded in cold agreement, not echoing Terrador's attempted emulation of pity. 'They've only brought it upon themselves. We gave them plenty of chances to contribute meaningfully to our combined society, and they've failed every time.'

Terrador watched from the edge of the bath entrance as moles provided the necessary restraints. The cheetahs and dragon guards handcuffed every soldier, leader and commander that filed out in a forced straight line, brought to bear by the assorted dragons lining the ship's plank. Even the two chirrups were put in metal cages, though they both stared out blankly. Few of them viewed the creatures with the same pity as the Earth Guardian's, though Terrador noticed the many miserable and defeated expressions of the captives.

_Why are they like this? Is it in their nature, or is it something else?_

He shook off such feelings; he needed to remain focused if the procession around to the prison district was to go off without a hitch. The animosity in the air was apparent, and Terrador feared more an attack from one of the guards than a prisoner. What bothered him the most was at the forefront; Snotty was the only one who seemed to be enjoying himself. From the way his eyes darted around at the sights around him, it was as if he was sizing up the entire city as another mark.

_Perhaps Cyril was correct... There is something off about that one._

When the few dozen or so prisoners were all falling in line led by the guards, moles began filing into the ship and unloading the treasure chests, food, drink, armour and weapons into suitable packages and sliding them down a sturdy wooden plank covering the ship's dustier one. The dragons were scant interested in anything but the food; the alcoholic rum and salty water was far from their liking. The cheetahs, on the other hand, paid particular interest in the long, curved cutlasses and sabres. Hunter eventually got his turn to go inside, and took favour to Snotty's personal rapier. He couldn't help but grin as he brought it out before Terrador and Meadow, turning it over in the fading sunlight.

'Say what you will about him; he took care of his blade.'

Hunter tested the weight and feel of the hilt, swinging slowly to his sides in wide circular motions. He bore his sharp teeth with pleasure before tucking the sword and scabbard into his belt, under his cloak. 'I'll have to get some practice; I've only ever used inferior daggers up until now.'

Meadow nodded in agreement as he sheathed a short sabre for himself. 'For hunters such as us; a clean blade has many uses.'

Terrador didn't object to them taking the blades; they would be far more useful in their hands than being stored away in the armory. He then thought of some of the weapons they managed to recover from the Apes; as such crude and evil weapons needed to be destroyed, or locked away if that was not possible. He eyed the two cheetahs almost like two children with dangerous weapons. 'Don't get too greedy, here. The weapons were not part of the stolen property, after all. After their sentence is up, we may very well return their weapons.'

Ignoring their look of disapproval, he shifted towards the edge and opened his wings, eyeing the two cheetahs expectantly. 'Can I leave the cargo-handling to you, Meadow? I need to be there to put Snotty away, especially.' He glanced at Hunter expectantly. 'You'll be retiring your falcon, I presume, Hunter?'

As the two cheetahs nodded, and he took flight, several dragon guards hurried inside at the growling and hissing coming from within; it was likely there were still Blundertails and Skurvywings within the cargo holds. Terrador let them continue; the Earth guards would know how to handle the animals respectfully.

As he flew overhead, the abandoned prison district's empty atmosphere settled over him, and even had an effect on Snotty as he entered with the guards. He seemed more subdued and exhausted, especially now that there was nothing interesting to see. Terrador's pity for them only increased watching them on his way down; the prison hadn't been used for years. It had been neglected to the point where the prison was in far worse shape than the pirate ship – even with the cleaning the moles and dragons did while Spyro and Cynder were gone.

Terrador took the lead in front of Snotty, leading the long line up the steps and the faded grey pavement. He eyed a long row of large cells, barred by thick, rusted metal poles and operated by large cranks embedded in the walls between cells. Terrador stopped at the smallest cell, substantially separated from the others, turning to the captain.

'The smallest one will be yours... Snotty.'

The captain scrunched his face up with impunity as he peeked inside. 'Eh? This dressin' room ain't fit for a pig!'

Terrador couldn't help but chuckle deeply. 'It seems your preconceptions of prison are mistaken.'

'But why are yeh' pullin' me from me crew? I can't spend me sentence mumblin' to meself!'

The Earth Guardian emitted a knowing smile down at him. 'And let you "mumble" to your cohorts? I hardly think so.' He edged along and gripped the large crank, easily turning it with one claw. 'Enter, if you please.'

Snotty couldn't help but silently poke his tongue out as he slipped inside. After Terrador let the gates close with a _clang_, the following guards began sealing large groups of Skavengers in each of the cells, housing the soldiers, leaders and commanders separately. However, Terrador eyed the Chirrup's cages thoughtfully as a guard brought them before him. 'Now – what to do with you...'

Scratch eyed him flatly, despite the dragon's head dwarfing the small cage. 'If you would, kind sir, put us in with the leaders? They are not as smelly as the soldiers, or so stupid as the commanders.'

Sniff poked his nose out his cage with an edge of disgust. 'Oh no you don't! Let us go! I wanna smell that sweet air before I die of impatience!'

Terrador stood still for a moment before nodding to himself. 'I believe I know just the place.'

He took the cage's hook in two of his claws, much to their protests, as he addressed the guards. 'I want twice the guards posted on the west wall from now on. Feel free to rotate yourselves from other posts, if need be.'

While some didn't look too pleased, they inclined their heads with respect as he flew off, the two cages clanging against each other, while making no effort to make the trip any more comfortable for his captives.

'You stupid muscly _chump_! Quit that flappin', yer hurtin' my ears! And you stink! Why do I have to put up with your chumpy horns and your chumpy claws and–'

Scratch just covered his wing and groaned at the compounded annoyance.

The dragon glanced around as he approached the aviary at Warfang's summit. 'Hunter? Hunter!' As the cheetah poked his head out of the small building inquisitively at the booming voice, the dragon dangled the cages together, earning a screech from Sniff. 'I have two new guests for you.'

Hunter's ears perked up with interest. 'Interesting... to think Talon and the others will have new... _playmates_.'

Scratch simply looked horrified at the suggestion, while Sniff stared over the city and the evening sky. 'Nice view here! Now all ya gotta do is let us out.'

As Terrador set the cages on the stone pavement, Hunter approached and folded his arms sternly. 'That will be for him to decide,' the Guardian rumbled. 'Hunter, can I entrust them to your care?'

Hunter smiled with amusement as he turned towards the aviary. 'It would be more accurate to say I entrust them to _their _care.'

Scratch shook his head in terror. 'Oh no... We... are going to die...'

'Shut it, Scratch!' The purple chirrup hissed without subtlety. 'If they let us out with them, then... you know!'

Hunter simply shook his head as he grabbed the cages. 'Thank you, Terrador. You should rest... It's been a long day for many of us.'

Terrador couldn't help but listen curiously as Hunter unlocked and slid the cages open inside. Within seconds, he could hear Sniff's muffled screeches among a swarm of flapping wings.

'OWOWOWOWOWOWOWO–'

'Oh, _you _shut it, you loud fool. We're prisoners here, cage or not. These... things... They are monsters...'

Terrador chuckled again as he made for his quarters. _Well, at least Hunter and his birds can have fun with them._

As the large warrior started down the path once again, he stopped to admire the elaborate carving of the phoenix coating the hall's main gates. Its regal wings were spread out in a magnificent, but welcoming gesture, and if such a creature existed, Terrador believed the darkness brought about by Malefor wouldn't stand a chance. The concentrated colour of the sunset only enhanced the image, creating a deification of the sun itself.

_Unfortunate that we lost the original source of this depiction. Even with Volteer's knowledge of the primal deities, we still know nothing of the other two..._

He blinked with curiosity, and pushed through the gates gently to sit himself on the other side of the gates. As if mirroring the image outside, another massive avian was shrouded in rich, but subdued colours; a combination of blue and purple currents shrouded its long upturned wings against a gradient background, matching the sunset colours pouring through the surrounding windows. While Terrador felt the depiction mirrored the phoenix outside perfectly, the most notable feature was its eyes... dim, grey eyes that were very gentle, contrasted against its deep purple feathers. He also felt something else... as if the creature was looking down at him with slight envy.

_The moles and dragons who first built this city still fail to disappoint._

'Sad, isn't it?'

Nadina's gentle voice echoed through the hall, drawing Terrador's gaze around to her resting near the west window, bathing in the fading sunlight. He admired her for a moment; the reflective sheen of her turquoise scales giving her a transfixing glow. Her silver eyes soon matched his, and he ducked his head with subtle embarrassment as he joined her. She gazed up at the figure again.

'So many see the enormous phoenix outside and marvel at its beauty, but most pass right back out without noticing the raven. And yet whoever created them put equal care and effort into each carving.'

Terrador's muzzle curled with slight amusement. 'As we Guardians understand it, the two were placed like that on purpose. We can test perception, in a sense, by observing their reaction to the interior gates... if they have any. But only when they get the chance.'

'That's easy for you to say. From the platforms here' – she pointed her head towards the six alcoves – 'it's always in full view. It's not really a test when it comes naturally for you, is it?'

Terrador snorted lightly. 'Well, we need some form of entertainment up there. It gets quite dull standing in place for hours on end, if the situation demands it.'

Nadina sighed sympathetically. 'Well, it comes with being a Guardian, doesn't it?'

'Indeed...'

After a moment's pause, Terrador examined her with concern. 'How are you feeling? Hopefully, the effects of the Elraith's attack have worn off by now.'

Nadina frowned thoughtfully as she slowly stood up, tensing her shoulder and inhaling deeply. Before Terrador could brace himself, she blasted him with a cold gust, blowing his wings backward and pushing him back a few feet. He shivered violently as he gaped at her.

'Ah! That... that's cold! What was that for!?'

She just smiled fondly. 'I just wanted you to lose that stone face for just a moment, is all.'

Terrador couldn't help but sit on his hind legs and rub his forelimbs together. 'It's not even winter yet...'

'And that's how I know you haven't changed. You can't stand the cold, and that's why...' She glanced backwards toward the dais of Fire. '...Well, that's one of the reasons you and Ignitus were friends in the first place.'

They both fell silent as Terrador bowed his head respectfully. 'He was a fine dragon.'

'I know... I'm sorry, Terrador. I wish I could have known him better.' She smiled gently as she glanced up at the regal carvings coating the ceiling. 'We did meet briefly... when he recruited you. We all could tell he was experienced, wise, and kind. That's why we trusted him with you. You were the strongest Earth warrior; we all knew it was true.'

Terrador managed to grin appreciatively. 'Thank you for the vote of confidence.'

Nadina's expression grew more serious. 'I've been thinking more about that though. Without Ignitus... Terrador, what will you and the others do? Will you try and find another Fire Guardian?'

Terrador shook his head, even though he hadn't considered the possibility before now. The idea of Ignitus truly being gone hadn't sunk in yet.

'I... do not know. I presume we may find one if the need arises.'

'So there are no fire dragons in Warfang right now that you would consider?'

Terrador hesitated before he spoke. 'Only one; I believe, is worthy... It can be none other than Spyro. While the others certainly helped in the war... Spyro's potential, even as a fire dragon alone surpasses them all.' He growled sadly. 'I can't bring myself to ask him, though. Like Cynder, too much of his life has been taken away by a fate forced upon him. It is my wish that he lives his life the way he chooses. In fact, for all their forsaken generation... I wish the same. The generation we Guardians failed.'

Nadina shook her head. 'Terrador, you really need to work on that. You need to stop dwelling on the past. But... you may be right. I may not be a Guardian, but I wish the best for them. And for you, too.' She smiled gently. 'It's easy to forget how young you actually are.'

The earth dragon nodded silently. 'Years matter little for a thousand-year life span.' He sighed as he swept Ignitus' image from his mind. 'As for a new fire Guardian... there may be other fire dragons out there that we can find. I expect we will see many more dragons in the near future. Or, at least I hope.'

Nadina nodded, leading him outside to inspect the state of the city. Even in a few days, most of the major damage to the city's large tower structures was cleared of rubble, and solid foundations were laid for smaller, intact buildings to serve as residences for the Cheetahs and Moles in the meantime. While the Dark district for the dragons had been the most heavily damaged, there were still more than enough dragon dwellings vacant to accommodate twice as many dragons as were living there currently. Within another week, the mole architects and dragon builders would have finished their work.

'So you do plan to hold a summit of all the races?' As Terrador nodded, she nodded back. 'The wind dragonesses and I can help find them – you only have to give the word.'

The earth guardian frowned, caught off guard by her initiative. 'I don't want to impose, Nadina. It seems like the wind dragonesses have been doing too much work as it is.'

'Well, we are the best at travelling. I just feel like we need to pull our weight, given the impressive progress of your builders here.'

Terrador chuckled at her reassurance. 'Very well, but I will still send some of the other warriors to known holdouts. And the other races will be invited too, as they were as much victims of this war as we were.'

The two of them continued to watch the city as the sun sank below the horizon. Nadina opened her maw to yawn briefly before turning around.

'It's funny to see how far we've come. Especially you; the rockheaded young warrior to reserved, responsible leader.' She smirked fondly. 'Who would have thought?'

Terrador nodded, mirroring her expression. 'I could say the same for you. Though I would not consider you rockheaded...' He cleared his throat awkwardly. '...No offense.'

She chuckled as she headed back to her chambers, leaving him filled with nervous apprehension, but at the prospect of finding other dragons or not, he couldn't say.

'Good night, Terrador.'

As she left, he pondered such a summit of all the united races, along with the dragon species. Were the dragons truly decimated by Malefor... or not? He could only cling to hope. _And perhaps there are more Earth and Wind dragons out there for us to find. _

* * *

Spyro stirred as a falcon's screech from afar drew him from slumber. As he moved, however, it became obvious that a warm figure was pressed up against his side. Suddenly feeling rather hot and briefly confused, he wrested himself away from Cynder without thinking, breathless.

She grunted softly and opened one eye, completely relaxed in comparison to his shocked state.

'Uh...what? Did we oversleep?'

He took a few moments to form whole words as he exercised his jaw.

'Cyn-der... We... did... What... did we...?'

Cynder raised her brow as she took the meaning, her own face flushing a little. 'What? No! Don't be silly, Spyro.'

Spyro managed to calm himself, but his own memory after Clauk party seemed to be failing him. 'So what happened? For some reason, I can't remember anything clear after I drank that grove nectar...'

The buzzing of wings signalled Sparx waking up – oddly enough from the living room. As he hovered in, his face seemed to have intense disgust permanently painted all over it.

'Pathetic, Spyro. I'd think with all that weight you carry around, you could handle that stuff.' He looked between them stiffly. 'And this is why I sometimes regret coming to live here.'

Cynder sighed. 'Come on, what's the big deal, you two? We did the same thing after we escaped the planet's destruction.'

'We did?' It took him a moment to remember, ignoring the accusing stare of his brother. 'Well, of course... It was cold.' He shook his head at his own inhibition. 'Ugh. Never mind, then.' He glanced up at the ceiling, feeling somewhat embarrassed. 'Remind me not to take that nectar again. Or at least, warn me before I drink that much.'

Sparx folded his arms scornfully. 'How about I warn you about basically anything? You can save the world without me, but go on a mission or a drink and you end up in the gutter.'

'Sparx...'

As Cynder got up awkwardly, she breathed in the fresh air coming through windows with the morning breeze. She stood there for a moment, contemplating the day ahead, her expression falling a little.

'Spyro? I know this may be a bit sudden, but...'

Spyro waited patiently, sensing her rising anxiety. 'What is it, Cynder? Are you OK?'

She exhaled, bracing herself resolutely. 'I want to go to the Dark district.'

Sparx stared at her incredulously. 'What? When did you get that idea? I thought the place was a wreck.'

Spyro, on the other hand, knew exactly why she wanted to go there. 'You want to know more about your people.'

Cynder turned to him with a soft gaze. 'Of course I do. Tytus, Tython... Clauk... I know they've accepted me. That's enough for me to want to build a life for myself here. Because... I know that they, at least, won't force me out. And the other dragons I've met have been so nice, too...'

Sparx shook his head doubtfully. 'I don't think we'll find any shadow dragons there.'

Cynder shot him a brief glare. 'Don't you think I know that, Sparx? Ugh... I just want to see if there's anything left.'

Spyro nodded determinedly. 'I understand. I'll go, of course, but Sparx...'

'I know, I know. I'll keep my mouth shut.' He paused on the way out. 'Mostly.'

* * *

Hunter eyed the landscape before him miserably that morning, counting in his head the times during the night that the new guests stirred up trouble. Sniff had attempted many escapes despite the late hour, and Scratch didn't help matters by chastising his companion rather loudly. The cheetah warrior had half a mind to just leave Talon and the other falcons to babysit them, but he didn't think that was fair to them. He hadn't factored in their thoughts on the decision, so he saw fit to suffer the consequences alongside them. His chance to slip away came as the two chirrups fell silent and finally went to sleep, and with the other falcons' approval, they left.

Talon was at his side, as always, perched and walking along the stone parapets, surveying the landscape with him. Even he had lost his patience dealing with those two pirate birds. Or so Hunter thought; he couldn't always tell what his avian companion was thinking.

Some good had come from his lack of sleep, however. As he was drawn awake that morning, and couldn't get back to sleep, he saw fit to inspect his new blade. Weapons and tools of fine craftsmanship were highly prized among the nomadic cheetahs, and Hunter couldn't help admiring it like a pristine treasure. Nor could he shake off the odd, tingly joy of calling one his own.

_I'll see to it that those pirates never lay their hands on another fine weapon like this._

Enamoured by the subtle runes carved into the lower edge of the blade, he couldn't help but stand and swing it around him, making sure no dragon guards were near, of course.

_Perhaps I'll ask the Guardians if I could train with Spyro using this weapon. He and Cynder will face Orcs and other possible blade wielders in the future, after all..._

A familiar, but unexpected voice reached his ears just as he was getting into his technique.

'Hunter! There you are!'

He managed to grin despite himself as Shiall leapt up several large blocks as only a cheetah could, reaching him in just a few seconds. Upon reaching him, she pulled him into a light hug, causing Hunter to sigh with embarrassment.

'Shiall, please... Can't you exercise restraint? I'm on duty.'

She snorted into his coat. 'You're _always _on duty, Hunter. Whether it's taking care of the falcons, going on scouting missions or helping the dragons, you're never sitting still. Well, in a manner of speaking...'

She beamed as she spotted Talon hopping towards her, and she crouched to scratch at his feathered head.

'And how have you been, Talon? Hunter's cutie boy?'

Hunter groaned self-consciously. 'Shiall, he's not a pet... You always forget that.'

She continued stroking the bird, earning gentle trills in response. 'Well, he likes the attention. Perhaps you're too serious about treating them like people.'

Hunter looked her up and down, and was surprised she wasn't carrying any of her usual scrolls or writing materials, only a simple dagger at the hip. 'How is the translation coming along? Did Volteer's prattling drive you away?'

She grinned cheekily. 'You could say that. I just needed some fresh air... and I didn't get to say hi to you and Talon when I came in with Meadow.'

Talon cawed in an annoyed tone, causing her eyes to widen slightly.

'Really? I must have been so excited for the deciphering that I didn't hear you...'

Her gaze was then drawn to Hunter's unsheathed blade, staring with a similar envy to his own upon seeing for the first time.

'Where did you get that weapon? It looks well-crafted... a gift from the moles, maybe?'

He shook his head, testing the edge one more time with one claw. 'No, in fact it was the pirate captain's weapon. I have yet to practice, though... in fact I was getting ready for some rounds just as you came along.'

Shiall eyed her own dagger at the hip, pulling it out and flipping it into the air. 'How about you do some with me?'

Hunter eyed the puny weapon rather pitifully. 'A dagger against a sword? I know you're skilled, Shiall, but that's hardly fitting practice.'

She crouched down with the small blade in a defensive position. 'You'd be surprised. I think you've used that bow of yours too much in recent years.'

Hunter smiled determinedly. 'Well, at least this morning won't be so boring after all...'

He extended his sword defensively as well, as they began to circle each other. Since the ramparts were built for dragons, there was plenty of space for the two felines to manoeuvre. Talon hopped backwards out of the way, while several nearby guards eyed them with interest as a break from their monotonous duty.

When it became clear that Hunter would not attack first, Shiall edged forward swiftly to swipe her dagger up at Hunter's stomach, which he blocked, but she pushed it backward with her palm on the smooth edge, swinging around and stabbing down as the rapier was flung backward with her first attack. She stopped the dagger before it touched him, but she grinned triumphantly.

'In a real battle, this would be between your ribs right about now.'

Hunter only grunted in response. _I'm still not used to its weight..._

He then took his turn to swipe at her with a series of strokes, while Shiall easily avoided them with her sidestepping and ducking the slower weapon, but didn't move to attack. After a good twenty strokes, she strode forward underneath a wide slash, grabbed Hunter's sword arm and swung her dagger to his neck, still keeping a safe distance. She let him go after a second, but the embarrassment over his normally stoic yellow face was palpable.

'You're lucky I've never seen an orc, grublin or pirate use one of these.'

Hunter pursed his lips and spoke through somewhat clenched teeth. 'I suppose I am... but this isn't practice, is it? Just you showing off.'

Shiall shrugged apologetically. 'We just trained in different areas. I've never been one for ranged combat... not that I get any chances anyway, given how Prowlus boxes me in with administration.'

He nodded in agreement, all too familiar of Prowlus' governing methods. Him allowing her to come to Warfang was probably the most he would ever let her do. He clenched his paw over his blade, somewhat disappointed with his performance.

'Do you have any advice? Clearly I am not used to the weight, but is there anything you can tell me?'

Shiall eyed him eagerly, holding her arm out as she gripped her small, but elegant blade. 'Don't bend your wrist too much, or you'll tire it out. But don't keep your wrist pointing the thing at right angles, either. You want the edge to swing like an extension of your arm. The gist of it? Just get used to the grip, and eventually your wrist won't tire out when you swing, as it will feel natural.' She pulled her arm and eyed her dagger proudly. 'Of course, it takes less time with a lighter weapon. It might take years for you to get used to that...' She suddenly narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. 'Have you considered going to the pirate captain? From what I've heard from Spyro, he was quite skilled with it. Even I doubt I could go against him.'

Hunter's ears twisted back with displeasure. 'I'd rather not, if you understand me.'

'Hunter...'

Her disapproval sounded strange to his ears as he faced her. 'You know how they treated me. I still can't get those filthy images of them out of my head... not to mention our history with them. Scavengers, literally, feeding off of the hard work we've tried to build for generations. That Malefor has prevented us from expanding is just the final insult.'

Shiall eyed the stone below sadly. 'I know the cheetahs have suffered, but you shouldn't let the past stop you from making sensible decisions. You want to get better with that sword – he knows how. He's in jail right now, so what have you to lose?'

He knew she was right, and he sighed as he sat on a raised parapet, sheathing the blade carefully. 'Knowledge alone is valuable, regardless of its source... I'll see to him, then. But I still can't stand to look at them for more than a few seconds.'

'Hunter!' The guard on duty, this time the wind dragoness, Ralis, barked up at him, causing him up to snap up. 'I believe we have a visitor. Two, in fact. What do your feline eyes see?'

Talon was the first to spot them from the forward cannon, cawing affirmatively. Hunter's eyes widened with suppressed excitement. 'Two dragons? Two more survivors? We must get them in safely! Who knows how many grublins are after them this time...'

Shiall shook her head doubtfully. 'Wait, Hunter... from Talon's tone, they don't seem to be in a hurry. We should go to them and find out what's up, though. Let's go.'

He followed her as they leapt down the stone blocks to speed through the open gate.

* * *

The large electric dragoness stared up at the gates to Warfang with reverence and elation at having made it this far. She had always lived alone or in very small groups; the sight of a full city of dragons, and smaller rodent-like people and feline warriors living together was a magnificent, yet odd, sight.

'The craftsmanship is just marvellous! Look how those dragon statues stand proudly side by side! Though I suspect the gem eyeballs will become unsettling... I do hope the entire city is not filled with them...'

The younger male at her side took a short look at the architecture and quickly lost interest, instead choosing to focus on the few strange characters he could see. He observed some of the moles poking their heads over the ramparts with not-so-subtle fascination, exclaiming in a strangely high voice.

'What are those things, Mom? They have really big heads and noses... and they're waddling around like they have wedgies...'

'Sion, how many times have I told you not to use that word?' His mother sighed. 'Or any such words. In fact, upon our arrival, please try not to talk at all, alright dear?'

Sion nodded obediently, but picked up on two tall figures running across the grassy plain with surprising speed. He gaped in amazement at their movement.

'How do they move that fast!? I wish I could do that! Hey Mom, one's got a sword. Are they attacking us?'

'Honey, cheetahs very rarely attack dragons. If at all.'

'What's a cheetah?'

She couldn't help but clench her brow with frustration, but before she could tell him off for forgetting, the two cheetahs had stopped before them a safe distance away, not at all worn out from their sprint. The larger one on the right approached and extended a paw in greeting. 'Hail, travelling dragons. Will you need an escort inside Warfang? Are there grublins in the area?'

He could answer some of his own questions just by looking at them. The dragoness was a voluptuous Electric dragon, with a gold tinge to most of her body scales, along with blue stripes and frills running down her body. She watched them politely with brown eyes.

The younger dragon had deep bronze scales, with sky blue eyes. His chest and belly, along with his thin horns, were bone white. Oddly enough, he had a mixture of red stripes and dark green jaw frills, and his musculature was also unusually developed for his age. Even more strange were the large sharp spines jutting out of his elbows and shoulders. Neither of them seemed to be in a hurry, nor did they bear any battle scars or injuries.

The electric dragoness eyed his paw awkwardly for a moment before attempting to tap it with one wing. Hunter snapped it back before the large body part could damage him, and she chuckled lightly.

'I apologise, but it has been many years since I've seen civilisation, or people... but where are my manners? My name is Telsa. And this is my son, Sion.' She paused for a moment. 'Oh! An escort? How lovely! I wish the grublins were half as hospitable.' She eyed Shiall politely and nodded in recognition, despite the feline's bewilderment at her apparent naiveté. 'It's really quite difficult to get a word out of those imps.'

Hunter chose his words carefully, not fully understanding. 'Wait; were you... prisoners of these grublins? Did they take something from you?'

Telsa shrugged proudly. 'Nothing I couldn't handle, feline warrior. They simply ambushed us on the way here, and I had to scare the little bugs away after we tried to talk. Primitive folk. Pay it no mind.'

_Tried to talk? _Shiall stared with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief. _I find that difficult to believe... either that anyone would try, or that they were even capable._

Shiall studied them as they followed Hunter at a more relaxed pace back. Still transfixed by the regal dragoness, a sharp pain in her rear snapped her back to reality.

'Ow! What...'

Sion retracted his claw as she shot him an annoyed glare, glancing up at her obliviously. 'I was just wondering if that tail was real...'

'Sion! Get over here right now, young man! And do _not _touch things that aren't yours!'

The young dragon silently hurried past her to catch up with his mother, leaving Shiall's annoyance turning into awkward curiosity. _Wait until the Guardians get a load of him. Or better yet, that blue dragoness who has zero patience._

While Telsa was intent on sightseeing as much as possible as they entered the market district, her attention was soon focused on keeping her son out of trouble. His attention now drawn to the moles milling about their stalls and shopping on their own, he made an effort to disappear from the group. Mere minutes upon entering the market, Telsa was briefly engaged with a small stall lined with ornaments and jewellery; some of which were clearly designed for dragons. While Shiall was content to look as well, Hunter cleared his throat awkwardly from behind.

'Telsa, where is Sion? We still need to find a home for you both, and it won't do for him to wander into the prison district. Or worse yet, the ruins.'

Telsa immediately withdrew from the stall, picking up on Hunter's grim tone and surprised them by turning over large crates, shoving aside market supplies and riling up some of the traders as she passed by and knocked their displays from their positions. One elderly fire dragon growled in distress as his fried meats were scattered on the pavement.

'Hey! You going to pay for that, lady?'

She gave a rushed apology, before she continued calling for her son over the light rabble over the market. Several dragons eyed her sympathetically, but Hunter was quick to spot a signature commotion signalling her son's presence. A small group of mole children were scrambling away from an unknown assailant, with Sion leaping between the moles and eyeing the small mammals playfully with his tail waving behind him. The cheetahs moved to block him for a moment, stopping the smaller dragon in his tracks.

'Hey! You let them get away!' Sion cried miserably as the moles ran back to the market. 'I nearly had them!'

'What were you thinking?' Hunter replied with sudden hostility. 'Were you really going to eat them!?'

Sion blinked innocently and shook his head. 'I was just playing tag.'

Hunter shook his head in disbelief, distinctly picturing the predator-like technique he was using. 'I don't believe tag involves stalking your opponent like some victim.'

Sion twisted his muzzle sulkily. 'Well, I was having fun, and you ruined it.'

'Sion!' Telsa sped forward with the urgency of a mother bear, but was quick to adopt a scolding frown. 'What did you put those poor moles through? They're people too – you can't toy with them like that!' She used a wing to swipe him to her side. 'Don't leave my side again.'

Sion glanced back towards the fleeing moles mournfully. 'But waiting around is so boring...'

Hunter twitched his ears with amusement. 'I am inclined to agree, Telsa. We should find you a home, and then introduce Sion to his peers. He should be fine with them-' He paused as he examined Sion again. 'How old are you, young dragon?'

'Fourteen and a... mm... quarter.'

_So he is younger than Spyro and Cynder. Considering his behaviour, it's no surprise, but that strange body..._

The young dragon was suddenly at his heels, beaming up at him with excitement. 'Did you say there are other dragons like me here? Is the purple one here? Can I meet him?'

Hunter nodded cautiously. 'Hold up, young one... yes, there are other young dragons here, like you. And yes, Spyro lives here–'

'Wow!' Sion retracted his energy in an instant, already at his mother's heels. '_The _purple dragon? The one who beat up Apes and Grublins even when he was a kid? The one who stopped Malefor and save the world? I can't believe he's here! Mom, can I see him? Can I, can I!?'

'Sion, just calm down and let's follow this nice cat to find a house...'

Hunter and Shiall both folded their ears with displeasure at being called cats, but Sion didn't seem to hear any of them, now racing around asking the moles, cheetahs and dragons to Spyro's whereabouts. While Hunter and Telsa tried unsuccessfully to reel him in, Shiall grinned with amusement at the whole scene. _Looks like Spyro has a fan._

As the young hyperactive dragon pushed his way through the market place, just like his mother, he ended up knocking several moles and cheetahs over, including one carrying a large bag of gems. Rubies, emeralds and some topazes spilled out onto the street, but Sion continued without a backwards look. Sion eventually found a willing guard after the other shaken or frightened residents turned him away. Clauk was on duty when Sion scaled the wall to ask him.

'Spyro? I'm not sure, but he usually likes to hang out at the library. Or his house in the Fire district, the first on the left; the red-gold one. The library is in the tall towers just beyond them.' He raised a claw to point out the towers in clear view of the wall. 'See?'

Sion nodded once, already pointing himself to dive off the wall. 'Thank you, mister!'

And with that, he unfurled his somewhat stunted wings to glide down swiftly and raced across the stone pavement to the residential district. In just one moment, Hunter was already up there where Sion had just been.

'Clauk! You should have stopped him!'

'Why, Hunter? I figured another of Spyro's generation would be a welcome sight...'

The feline warrior simply shook his head and pointed his head down at Telsa, who had already stopped in place after hearing their conversation. Shiall was following slowly, still wearing an amused grin.

'What did that nice guard tell my son?' She asked as Hunter descended.

'Well, he directed him toward the library and the Fire district...'

'So he won't go towards the ruins or prison district you mentioned?'

Hunter shook his head slowly. 'Well, they are in the opposite direction. But I don't know your son well enough to predict his movements.'

Telsa quickly calmed down as she spotted Sion in the distance. 'He'll be alright, then. He may act like a darling baby, but he won't get lost. And if worst comes to worst, he can always find me if he really wants to. This has happened before, believe it or not.'

Shiall snorted. 'Oh, I believe it all right.'

Telsa turned toward the Grand Hall up above and rolled her shoulders in preparation for flight. 'I should be fine on my own now... and to introduce myself to the Guardians proper.' She smiled endearingly down at Hunter next to her. 'You have my thanks, warrior.' She raised a claw and patted him on the head. 'Nice kitty.'

Shiall burst out laughing as the dragoness left, with Hunter left dumbstruck. 'Did she just...'

* * *

'... No. No, no, nothing! Heroes of the Storm, no. Legends of Neratha. No!'

Solaris ran her eyes over the contents of each book in quick succession with half-bloodshot eyes. Following her discussion with Spyro and Cynder, she found she couldn't sleep well in her home by herself, and after brief contemplation, she quietly returned to the library and began browsing despite Areth not being on duty yet. The dutiful librarian was surprisingly accommodating and set aside many single books along with a list of known titles they had in the library. Areth also didn't poke her nose further into the reason behind this research, and let Solaris continue her work. The pile of books behind the blue dragoness was beginning to pile up as she ran through each of the books repeatedly, despite Areth's assurances that none she'd already checked contained the information she sought.

'The Lost Phoenixes, even with light and dark elements, have nothing specific!?'

She sighed heavily and leaned back on her haunches, wiping her face with her paw and glanced around for a sundial.

_How long have I been doing this? It was nine-Lunos when I started... and now it is two-Solus. Five hours... and I'm no closer to finding out more... Ancestors know Spyro and Cynder don't want to discuss it further._

She thought more upon the nature of Convexity, and why so few, including her own people, had no clue it even existed. While part of her wished it really didn't exist, and that Spyro's fears were unfounded, logic dictated that some sort of weapon or threat was responsible for the Guardian Dragons' losses over a long period of war. And if Convexity really did exist, she was truly baffled at Spyro not taking all steps to safeguard his people from it. Even if it was impossible to do anything, she believed, he should at least try.

_Spyro seems naive and too caring about innocent lives, considering how he handled his mission... but then why is he ignoring this? A soldier knows never to be complacent even in times of supposed "peace". Perhaps he's not cut out for war or fighting. How disappointing..._

'Excuse me? I'm looking for Spyro, can you help me?'

She raised her head in annoyance at the loud voice nearby.

Areth answered after a slight pause. 'Ah. A new arrival, I presume? I apologise, I have not seen Spyro in the library today. Solaris is in, however. She's one of his peers; perhaps she has a better idea than I do? She's got a pile of books over there in the fictional history section.'

Anger flashed through her briefly before the patter of claws ran over the stone floor toward her position. An odd-looking bronze drake poked his head around the corner nervously. For a second, he stared at her in open-mouthed admiration, which only made her uncomfortable.

'Uh... hi. Um... is your name Solaris?'

She rolled her eyes at the interruption. 'Do you see any other adolescents around here?' She sighed and dipped her head to keep reading. 'What do you want?'

'Do you know Spyro?'

She eyed him flatly. 'Of course I know Spyro! Warfang isn't exactly overflowing with teenagers.'

'OK, so–'

'And no, I don't know where he is.'

She tried to focus on the text in front of her once again, signalling that she wanted to be left alone. Unfortunately, Sion didn't take the hint, instead poking his head further until he was standing right in front of her, eyeing the pile of books behind her curiously.

'What are you doing?'

'I'm _trying_ to find out about' –she hesitated briefly– '-a specific element. And more about the... strange customs of Guardian Dragons.'

Sion tilted his head. 'How long have you been sitting here? You look really tired.'

'I'm more frustrated than tired. Now go away! Before I have Areth throw you out.'

He didn't seem to hear her, helping himself to her pile, only to pick out one that collapsed half of the entire thing.

'What do you think you're doing!?' She hissed angrily, immediately piling the books back on top. 'You nearly messed up my planned review order!'

He turned the book over to look at its cover. From the colour alone, they could both tell it was written by a fire dragon. 'Is the element fire?'

'No.'

'Ice?'

'No!'

He grinned cheekily. 'Oh, I like this game! How about light-'

'Will you shut up!?'

There was an awkward pause when Areth hissed lightly at the noise. Sion blinked with wounded confusion. 'You're the one yelling at me...'

'Ugh.'

He put the book down at his feet, and while Solaris grabbed it and replaced it in her pile, he pulled out a couple of books from the surrounding shelves.

'It can't be that hard to find it... there're only four elements, right?'

Solaris fought to subdue her intense chagrin with his presence. 'A simple trip to the residential district should answer that question.'

'I've been there... and I don't know what you're talking about.'

_Is he blind as well as stupid? _Her annoyance had bubbled up to a point where she couldn't take much more, especially after poring over text after text for hours on end. She stood up firmly, picked up another pile of books she'd already processed, and waved the first title tantalizingly in his face.

'I reviewed the chapters here first. The most likely: Light and Dark Magic. No.'

He stared obliviously as she began throwing the books over her shoulder as she waved them in his face repeatedly.

'Marco, Rapunzel and the Restraining Order? No!'

After going through over twenty non-fictional books, she began digging into a pile of fiction.

'Handel and Greta – no. Ami the Fairy, no! The Golden Goose, The Little Gemcutter, Pretty Sorceress!'

Sion simply grinned as she went on and on. 'You must really like books if you can be bothered with all these boring stories.'

'Boring stories? This is important work!' Solaris slumped her shoulders in defeat. 'That's it. I'm leaving.'

She shoved past him without a word, leaving Sion to stare at her pile of books left in a messy pile.

'But – what about your books?'

'Do what you want! You obviously don't care about such things.'

Sion stood there, dumbstruck, not sure whether he should clean up or continue looking around. Worried that he might get in trouble with the librarian, he began picking up the books and shoved the books roughly into open sections in the shelves. Then, with a flash of panic, it occurred to him that he had no idea where they were supposed to go. He soon slunk back to Areth anxiously, dreading his possible punishment. Areth didn't look up at him until he tapped her desk.

'Excuse me, uh... Solaris left a pile of books and I don't know where to put them...'

Areth regarded him with slight annoyance. 'Yes, I heard enough.' She reluctantly closed her logbook and strode out from behind her stone counter and strode over to the mess in the shelf section. Sion stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do.

'Do you want any help?'

Areth shook her head before folding her wings to fit through the shelf gap. 'I'd prefer not. I think you've done enough for one day.' She glanced away distractedly. 'To have my daily watering delayed by an unscheduled cleanup in the history section...'

Sion watched her miserably, but without any further direction, he eventually found his way out to a nearby balcony and launched himself down toward the residential districts.

* * *

Cynder stood in the threshold between the Light and Dark districts. While both districts had yet to be fully restored, especially compared to the other four, there was an ominous silence blowing through the small suburb. The Light district behind them had prominent gold, white ornaments and flags with many depictions of stars, planets and mythical creatures. It even had some elderly dragons living in the inner dwellings, giving the place life and energy despite many buildings still lying in ruins.

What struck Cynder the most was how the Dark district was almost as stunning; if not for the crumbling buildings, missing walls and incomplete decorations, it's beauty would easily have rivalled the Light district. Ebony and blue patterns enveloped the few intact buildings, some with gleaming silver roofs and others with white crowns. But despite the few buildings fully intact, there wasn't a soul to be found. Spyro and Sparx followed her silently as went from building to building, her tail trailing more mournfully the deeper they went in. Eventually, they happened upon the largest dwelling so far. If there were leaders of the district, they would have lived here; or so they surmised. Spyro helped her open the creaky doors as they went inside.

The inside was lightly dusty, but apart from the different decorations and state of repair, the house reminded them of their own. As they explored further, the basic setup was the same, with several bedrooms, the main hall below for eating and relaxing, and two balconies. The tower went up further with an extra level, however, a staircase leading to a circular room opening into a balcony with a view of the entire district. The room, however, was the by far the most interesting part of the house. Instead of the usual silver and blue colours, the walls were purely black, painted with markings and messages arranged in rings running around the entire room. The setup reminded Spyro of the Starlight towers, as they both had devices for measuring or observing cosmic events. While Spyro began to examine the messages curiously, Cynder only hung her head as she sat on the balcony overlooking the area. Spyro and Sparx stayed with her on either side, Spyro standing next to her anxiously.

'Are you alright, Cynder? You haven't said a word since we arrived.'

Cynder shook her head slowly, finding it hard to even move her body. 'There's no one here. I wanted to see for myself where my people lived... but this place just...' She sighed. 'It just reminds I'm the only one here. And while I want to believe I'm not... if any of them alive, I would have seen one by now! Or heard of one! Anything...'

She stared down at the empty district. 'There's just nothing. Nothing but silence... and too much death...'

Sparx, meanwhile, was mouthing at Spyro silently. Spyro hesitated, but quickly took the hint, hating to see Cynder like this.

'Cynder... that might not be true.'

She glanced up at him curiously, still carrying her sorrow in her eyes. 'What are you talking about? I've been with you since we broke out of that crystal... so you haven't seen anything either...'

'But I have. I saw it in a dream.'

She appeared unconvinced. 'That doesn't mean anything, Spyro.'

He paused as he collected thoughts, closing his eyes briefly. 'I know you don't want to... but do you remember that time, just before you left the temple? I had dreams then, too – of the Mountain of Malefor. They led me to the Chronicler... eventually.'

Cynder stared at him with surprise, silently inviting him to continue.

'The only reason I found you in the Mountain of Malefor was... because the Chronicler showed me. You as Gaul's prisoner, and how to get to the Mountain of Malefor. This dream... felt like those other visions he showed me. He still might be.'

Cynder was silent for a moment, trying to process what she just heard. 'So it might be true? What did you see?'

Spyro paused for a moment. 'I don't remember much, but... I was in Convexity itself. You might not remember what it was like, but... I did see some Shadow dragons in there. And Volteer told me... all we know about your people is that they vanished. They might have fled to Convexity.' He bowed his head. 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I didn't know what you would do... but I just... couldn't to see you like this.'

While he saw brief confusion in her eyes, hope eventually filled them. 'So my people... they might be alive after all...' She sighed heavily, but managed to smile, like a burden had lifted from her. 'Thank you, Spyro. For telling me.'

He blinked in surprise before smiling back. 'Oh... um... no problem.'

She leaned forward and nuzzled his cheek briefly, causing Sparx to scrunch up his little face with annoyance. 'Ugh! I'm still here, you know.'

They smirked with slight amusement, letting Cynder sit for a few more moments. Then, out of the corner of their eyes, a small dragon was climbing the ruins of the left wall. He stopped when he spotted them, using one his slightly arrow-shaped wings to wave at them.

'Hey! Do you guys know where the Fire district is? I'm looking for the purple dragon!'

Cynder and Sparx immediately shot Spyro a confused look, who simply shrugged. Sparx, however, was quick to take advantage of the situation.

'Uh... sorry! We haven't seen him.'

'Aww... And you two look his age, too...'

Spyro's glare intensified as he watched Sparx trying to appear helpful.

'The Fire district's in further. If you keep going, eventually you'll find a district that's covered in mostly red paint. It's the one two districts after th–'

'Sparx!' Spyro scolded. 'Stop being stupid.' He stood up and called over the balcony. 'I'm Spyro. What's your name?'

Sion didn't answer for a moment, but even from a distance, they could tell he was beaming with excitement. He hastily scrambled up to the tallest block and launched himself to glide and grab the side of their balcony with surprising speed. The moment he climbed over, he looked Spyro over in a moment of awe before clumsily grasping his claw with both of his.

'I can't believe it! It's really you! And you're really purple!' He shook vigorously before Spyro awkwardly pulled out of his grasp. 'Weird colour, though. I've always wondered why such a special dragon was like that.'

Sparx cleared his throat before either of the other's could respond. 'And you are?'

Sion responded without looking at him. 'Oh! Yeah, my mom said it's polite to introduce yourself. My name's Sion...' He blushed with embarrassment as he spotted Cynder. 'Oh... wow... two pretty dragons in one day...'

Spyro regarded the new dragon's chest and shoulder muscles with disbelieving envy, while Cyndercouldn't help but stare at the same with admiration before smiling gratefully. 'Oh, well... thanks... I'm Cynder.' She regained her composure before standing up as well. 'Where's your mother? Is she alright?'

Sion tilted his head in confusion. 'Of course she's alright. Why wouldn't she be?'

Sparx buzzed up to Sion's face impatiently. 'How about the whole war with Malefor that nearly blew up THE PLANET?'

The bronze drake immediately recoiled in shock. 'Ah! Talking mosquito!'

'_Dragonfly_.' Sparx smacked his face in exasperation. 'I think this guy's lived under a rock his whole life. Funny, he doesn't look like an Earth dragon.' Sion eyed him warily, but let him hover around to examine him. 'Jeez, and here I thought Spyro was heavy... Are you an Electricity dragon? Though you're a shade darker than any I've seen – being Volteer.'

'I'm a dragon,' Sion responded simply.

Spyro nodded, attempting to sound polite. 'We know that, but what kind?'

Sion shook his head, suddenly appearing ashamed. 'I'm just... a dragon. I don't know what kind.'

'Wait a minute...' Cynder began, 'what kind is your mother?'

'Electricity! I know because she's used it all the time to chase away grublins and those other uglies.'

Cynder nodded. 'So you could be an Electricity dragon.'

Sion shook his head sadly. 'I wish... but if I was, I should have been able to do something with it by now.' He quickly smiled again. 'But anyway! I found you, and... well... Do you want to go somewhere? This is the first time I've been in a city, so I don't know where to get food without making people yell at me...'

Cynder smiled pleasantly. 'So would you like us to show you around?'

'Does Spyro get to come?' Sion asked hopefully, gazing at him with what seemed a desire for approval.

Spyro raised a sceptical brow. 'Uh... yes. I was planning to spend the day with Cynder anyway.'

'Does _Sparx_ get to come?' They all glanced at the dragonfly at the mocking tone. 'What? This guy shows up and he still doesn't know my name!'

'Mosquitoes have names?'

'Gah!'

Sion blinked with blank confusion. 'So your name's Gah?'

* * *

While they found their way out of the districts easily enough with Sparx taking the lead, Sion began leading them in another direction entirely, despite them trying to get to the market for some food like Sion asked.

'Sion?' Spyro asked, perplexed. 'Aren't you supposed to be following us?'

'Oh... yeah... but I want to see where my Mom went first.' He raised his head to try and see above the cheetahs and dragons walking around. 'A couple of those cats said they'd try to find us a house or something.'

'So did they?' Cynder asked.

Sion grinned sheepishly. 'Well... uh... I ran off before finding that part out.'

Sparx frowned miserably. 'So now we're going to spend the day looking for your mother? And here I wanted some more butterflies...'

Sion shook his head vehemently. 'We're not going to spend the entire day! I know how to find her, I just have to concentrate.'

Spyro nodded to himself, remembering Volteer's lessons about parents and offspring. 'OK, then, Sion. We'll follow you for a while.'

Sion beamed at Spyro's instilled confidence, and closed his eyes for a second. He then sped forward suddenly without a backwards look, making it difficult for them to keep up as he preferred to climb up and climb the tier platforms rather than flying or taking the steps.

Early on, Cynder was nearly impaled by one of his elbow spines as he stopped suddenly to look around, saved only by Spyro pulling her back. While Sion apologised profusely at the look on Spyro's face, he knew she couldn't studying Sion as they went. Inwardly, Spyro couldn't properly process his own physical inadequacy. _Is it just me, or am I the scrawniest drake in existence? _He tried not to let it show, though, as Cynder's brief depression had seemingly evaporated with Sion's presence. He quickly flushed the petty thoughts from his mind.

They ended up circle around and flying over the Fire, Water and Earth districts to land in the middle of the Air district. As they landed, though, Spyro's gut immediately dropped. The stone was carved in a clear sky-blue with interflowing wisps of cloud flowing through the pathways and around the central fountain, which had clean flowing water. It was almost like the ground was liquid or air rather than solid rock. Sion didn't seem to notice, though, and turned towards the towers on the rampart side, appearing to have found what he was looking for. The house itself had a hurricane painted around the ground storey, its top edge lined with spiralling lightning bolts. Sion hurried forward and pushed through the thin wooden doors before everyone else. After a moment, they heard light humming to a rather sweet tune in one of the bedrooms beyond.

'Mom!' Sion called out suddenly. 'Is that you?'

'Oh!' After a moment, Telsa emerged with a bright smile as she spotted her visitors. 'You didn't tell me you were bringing visitors! I might have prepared something for you all...' She shook of some of the dust off herself, as if she'd been cleaning just before. 'But where are my manners? My name is Telsa, and I presume you've met Sion? Such a darling, don't you agree?'

Sion rolled his head heavily. 'Mom! Not in front of Spyro!'

'Ohh! Spyro, is it? We've both heard such tales...'

Spyro looked up at her curiously. 'What kind? And from who?'

Sparx smirked to himself. 'And how accurate they are. I've heard some pretty weird stuff come out of dragon's mouths.'

Telsa glanced away in recollection. 'Well... it was a long time before you were actually born, my dear. Prophecies, legends... possibilities! Ah, but I'm sure you've heard enough of speculation about the purple dragon.' She glanced over both of the young dragons with approval. 'But we don't need them. I can see you've both grown into fine young dragons. I pray you both find happiness and long lives – we shouldn't need prophecies to accomplish that, don't you agree?'

She stepped forward and frowned down at her son. 'Just what have you been doing, Sion? Look at how grubby you've gotten yourself!' He groaned as she brushed some off with the back of her claw and even licking his neck lightly. 'How do you expect to find a nice dragoness to settle down with if you're covered in a pile of dirt? You really should be able to keep your scales nice and clean by now...'

Sparx snickered as he hovered by Spyro's head. 'I guess no Electric dragon can keep quiet, huh?'

Sion eventually turned to gaze at Cynder intently. 'You know, that other blue dragoness was really mean, but Cynder is different...'

As he did so suggestively, Sparx and Spyro stared at him open-mouthed, while Telsa immediately pushed his head down with plain humiliation plastered over her muzzle.

'Sorry! Never mind him, he doesn't know what he's talking about...'

Cynder eyes were wide open, but she had a slight flush to her facial markings. Spyro cleared his throat awkwardly.

'Uh... Sion? You... can sense magic, right?'

Sion slowly shook his head. 'No, I can't. Why?'

'Just checking.'

Sion squirmed and protested under his mother's firm grasp. 'Mom... uh... why...?'

Sparx, still staring with shock, whispered in Spyro's eardrum. 'I think we should leave.'

Spyro nodded silently as the three of them excused themselves and backed out through the wooden door. Cynder sighed breathlessly.

'Well, that was... fun.'

Spyro simply shook his head with disapproval, as Sparx hovered disjointedly towards the fountain in front of them. 'Uh huh. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go throw up now. Bye bye.'


	15. Summit of Minds

Chapter 14

Summit of Minds

* * *

Hunter shivered as he peered down the dim stonework leading to the prison cells. The torches were all unlit; their dank columns darkened in stark contrast to the rest of the city, even including the still bright marketplace where several different merchants chose to unload their inventories for the evening. Though it was the fire dragons' job to light the torches every night, they – like everyone else – went out of their way to avoid the prison district.

Despite the cold, dank atmosphere, the cheetah could hear several shouts and growls coming from the cells as he approached them, as if several canines were clawing at each other. He scoffed expectantly as he pushed himself forward down the stone steps; his soft paw pads treading lightly.

_They better not kill each other when they're supposed to be serving time. Then again, what would you expect from Skavengers?_

Not wanting to alert them all to his presence, Hunter crept along silently, and swiftly planted himself in front of Snotty's cell. Drowned out by the shouting and growling was the captain's own guttural snoring, with Hunter grimacing in disgust as he observed the drool dripping out of the canine's jaw. Not to mention the half-shaven fur covering some of his face.

The cheetah glanced around for a moment, picked up a loose chunk of rock and tossed it with precision through the bars, hitting Snotty's wet nose and earning a loud yelp as the Skavenger jumped up, brandishing an imaginary weapon.

'Arr! Who goes there?!'

Hunter cleared his throat. 'A rather bad idea to threaten your captors, Snotty.'

'Eh? A yellow pussycat?' Snotty sheathed his imaginary blade and approached cautiously. 'Yeh have some nerve interruptin' me' – his beady black eyes shot down to the weapon hanging on the cheetah's back – 'blade! Yeh've no right to carry dat around!'

Hunter sighed heavily. 'It's either this, or let it rot in storage. Only cheetahs can use a weapon of this size, after all.'

'An' Skavengers.' Snotty muttered, before grudgingly nodding. 'Fine. Yeh have me weapon. Isn't that enuff? What more do yeh want?'

'Well, ah...' Hunter pulled the blade out and weighted it in one paw. 'I'm afraid I need to know more about swordplay.'

'And?'

They both paused in awkward silence, and Snotty quickly grinned cheekily.

'Aww, the pussycat needs help wielding a toothpick! How sweet...'

'Quiet,' Hunter hissed. 'I came to ask for your help, not to put up with your pointless mockery.'

'Yeah? Funny way of showing it, cat.'

Hunter looked away and sighed heavily. 'I wasn't so eager to see you, either – but I had no choice. No one else in the city knows how to use a long blade. Dragon's don't need weapons, and moles only have miniature spears as a last resort. I may be the first cheetah to use one in generations, and I've already asked my brethren. So...' He tapped the keen metal with the tip of his claw. 'Will you teach me, or not?'

Snotty lost his grin for a moment as he folded his arms thoughtfully. 'Hrr... yeh tell me this, cat. What's in it fer me?'

Hunter narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

'You're in no position to make demands, dog.'

The Skavenger instantly turned his front away. 'Fine, then I won' help ya.'

Hunter clenched his fists in annoyance, shaking them as he debated to himself. 'Argh! Fine then, what do you want?'

Snotty quickly pointed at the nearest torch at the base of staircase entrance. 'First off, get da big red lizards to light 'least one of them torches! We're all shiverin' our fur out! And make sure they're lit every night!' He bore his canine teeth. 'Aye took a chance trustin' that purple lad, so don' make me regret it.'

Hunter nodded reluctantly. Inwardly, he knew that should have happened anyway. 'Very well, then. What _else_?'

Snotty paused; grinning provocatively. 'An' yeh have to let me out for a day.'

'What?' Hunter grumbled. 'Don't be absurd – you'll try to escape the moment I let you out.'

'What, yeh expect me to teach yeh in this wee cell?' Snotty shrugged lightly. 'I didn' say nothin' bout no escort, though.'

Hunter paused, raising his head thoughtfully. _Perhaps... if he was restrained and supervised by dragons wherever possible... or at least more cheetahs._

Snotty tapped the bars impatiently. 'Ey! Made up yer mind yet, cat?'

Hunter blinked and shook his head, clearing his throat awkwardly. 'No, I haven't. I will have to consider it further... I'm afraid you'll have to wait for my answer.'

He turned to leave, not wanting this conversation to linger any longer. Snotty, however, did; shaking his bars loudly as he called out.

'Hey! Pussycat! What have yeh done with our ship? Is there any treasure left? And when's me cursed trial?! It be feelin' like eternity in here already!'

Hunter scoffed without looking back. 'It hasn't even been a day, and you're already complaining that much? You should be grateful we're treating you like this, considering what you Skavengers have done in the past.'

Snotty stuck his nose out through the bars defiantly. 'An' what would you know about what Skavengers have done?!'

'It's obvious for all to see, dog.' He turned his head to stare back coldly. 'You captured me and Spyro, treating us like nothing more than entertainment for your barbaric tastes. You robbed whole villages of moles, leaving them to start again from nothing. You've taken our resources time and time again, preventing the cheetahs from thriving on the land like they once did. And you expect sympathy from me?'

Snotty growled softly. 'Yeh talking to me, or Skavengers?'

Hunter blinked and was silent for a moment.

'Yeh! What, dog got yer tongue? Huh?' Snotty shook his hook mockingly. 'What do yeh really know about us, eh? Yeh ever think 'bout why we might have done all those things?'

Hunter turned to him angrily; images of the pirate Skabb, beating him repeatedly after surrendering an arena fight; the parrots taunting him gleefully while the brute clubbed him half to death. _Because they're Skavengers. _

'Why don't you tell me.'

Snotty retreated back to his stone bed, bristling with deep anger. 'How about yeh figure it out yerselves, if you cats are so smart. I've helped yeh enough fer one day.'

Hunter stood there tensely, fighting off the urge to claw at the bars. He managed to calm down before his emotions got the better of him, and Snotty returned to his worn leatherbark bedding. Hunter waited for Snotty's snoring to resume, and after a minute, sped away with a confused and hurried pace.

* * *

Spyro and Cynder's next day was free, and both were quick to plan out the day before them to make the most of it. Spyro wanted to check Volteer for information about their classes, while Cynder wanted to make sure Cyril remembered their reward for their recent mission. Without either saying it, both wanted to see Sion again to make sure he was settling in with his mother, while neither really wanted to encounter Solaris. After a tiring assignment, the last thing either of them wanted to hear was her irate tidings of doom and gloom.

As both were preparing to depart, they received a strange visit from a flustered and nervous mole courier, bringing them two large bags of gems. He apologised profusely at how jumbled and heavy the bags were: apparently, his original bags were spilt over the marketplace and he had to get them restocked when many of the gems were stolen. Spyro thanked him sheepishly, brushing off his apology, and sending him off before departing themselves.

Bringing Sparx along, they took off from the Fire District's central courtyard, steadily climbing and feeling the cool morning breeze under their wings. They studied the layout of the city again; the tower which Cynder had helped with was nearly finished, and almost all scaffolding and supports were done away with in the marketplace – along with any dwellings surrounding the bathhouse. Those remaining to be finished included the prison area in the distance, along with the Light and Dark dragon districts – still miring the otherwise proud surroundings of Warfang.

The trio were made good time, approaching the Grand Hall within a few minutes. However, Sparx groaned sharply as they spotted an unfortunately small, blue figure in front of the larger Electricity dragons guarding the doors. 'Is she stalking us or something?' Sparx wondered under his breath, but not quite enough to pass by his companions.

'Don't be so rude, Sparx.' Cynder examined Solaris curiously as they landed, Spyro looking over her wing. 'Think she's sleeping? Not sure why she's here, though...'

'Same reason we are,' Spyro answered, not able to shake a nervous flush from her presence. He glanced up at the guards, and was surprised to see the two guards just as agitated as they were. They kept flashing the blue dragoness suspicious glances as they tried to fix their gaze ahead for any incoming messengers or threats. Their countenance lightened at the trio's presence, nodding respectfully to the trio as they landed – the one on the left addressing them quietly.

'Greetings, Spyro and Cynder.' Ignoring Sparx's grunt, he glanced toward the front doors. 'I believe a young drake and his mother are with the Guardians now, but she said you're welcome to join them if you wish.'

The other guard shook his head doubtfully. 'And we'd appreciate you opening those gates slowly! That dragoness has given us enough grief already.'

Spyro glanced over to her as well, curled up among a patch of grass under the shade of the stone. She slept rather unsoundly, with occasional hissing and swipes of her claws in random directions as if she was hunting something. 'So why's she still here?'

'She wants to see the Guardians too, but got infuriated when we mentioned the drake. I'm guessing she doesn't like him?'

Cynder frowned slightly. 'Well that's rather silly of her. There aren't many of our generation; she shouldn't be trying to avoid anyone.' She gave Spyro and Sparx a determined look. 'I think we should wake her up...'

The guards and Sparx immediately protested with vigorous head-shaking – and hand-waving by the dragonfly – to which Cynder only rolled her eyes and threw up her wings in exasperation.

'Why are you all acting like children? She's stuck with us; avoiding her isn't going to help anyone!'

Spyro remained silent as Cynder went over to the sleeping dragoness, and after a moment's hesitation, he and Sparx followed cautiously.

'Solaris?' Cynder tapped the blue dragoness's wing cautiously, avoiding her claws – particularly those on her wing digits. 'Solaris! You should get-'

Her red eyes shot open, and she immediately stood up, causing all of them to jump backwards.

'Burn! Burn! Die in a–' Her eyes focused quickly, and her frenzied gaze quickly calmed to her normally stoic expression. 'Oh. It's just you three again.' She frowned in annoyance. 'Thanks for interrupting my dream... just the _best dream I've ever had_.'

Sparx cleared his throat as he recovered despite Solaris' heated glare. 'So... a dream? Not a nightmare?' He shook his head incredulously. 'You need serious help.'

'Why?' She quickly tilted her head back dismissively. 'Bah, I don't expect a dragonfly to understand.'

Sparx shook his head, grinning at Cynder. 'You're worse than Cynder ever was, and that's saying something.'

Solaris studied Cynder curiously, who shot Sparx a nasty glare. 'Really? Well, there's more to you than it seems.' She cleared her throat as she sat herself down again. 'Now, if you don't mind, I'd rather dream of destruction instead of waiting for that loudmouth to leave.'

'Actually, that's why we're here,' Spyro managed to speak. 'We're going in to join them – and we think you should...' he sighed, 'come with us.'

'Oh, it's "we" now?' Sparx muttered subtly.

Solaris frowned. 'With that fool inside? I'd rather not suffer his presence.'

'You're gonna have to,' Cynder said flatly. 'I'm guessing they're discussing him joining our class even as we stand here.' She shrugged. 'So...'

Solaris pursed her jaw with displeasure, sighing heavily. 'Fine. I suppose there's no delaying the inevitable. Though I still do _not_ know why he was allowed in before me – I have important things to do.'

They kept silent, wanting to avoid perusing the subject, and let Solaris follow them through the gates as the still-nervous guards let them through. The loud, fast chatter of Volteer and Telsa quickly filled their eardrums as they beheld a bored Sion fidgeting next to his mother, while Terrador and Cyril simply nodded politely while remaining mostly silent.

'-so the optimal trajectory is a forty-five degree angle? That's the one I use most often, particularly on those horrid grublins mucking about in the dirt.'

'Not so, my dear! There are far too many orb types to consider – of different sizes, speeds, and conductors along the path to take into account.' Volteer arched his neck higher, eyeing an imaginary foe. 'Against all grublins, though, chaining currents I find more effective, especially when you have assistance from other elemental attacks. Cyril and I can attest to that!'

Cyril shook his head defensively as Volteer smiled over at him. 'Volteer, don't expect me to recite your trajectory angles. I simply do not have the capacity to recall such trivial details.' He frowned impatiently at Terrador. 'Were we not discussing Sion's education?'

Terrador nodded slowly, his gaze trained on the fidgeting drake. 'Indeed we were. Volteer, this is really not the time nor–'

'–but that becomes a horrid problem once you're sufficiently outnumbered. What about literal clouds of those insects? You would need a fire dragon for help with that...'

Cyril groaned sharply as the two electricity dragons continued to discuss tactics like chattering rodents. He spotted the group at the door and gestured for Terrador to follow, circling around the two Electric dragons conspicuously. Moving to greet their visitors, Sion, looking for any excuse to move, pitched forward eagerly and greeted Spyro with a smile.

'Hi Spyro! Did you come to see me?' Before Spyro could answer, he bobbed his head excitedly. 'Oh! You must have come to see the Guardians too! I thought it would be exciting, seeing as they're the most powerful dragons in Warfang, but all they do is stand and chat! So boring...'

'You're one to talk,' Solaris muttered under her breath.

Terrador cleared his throat as Cyril frowned down at him. 'I assure you, young dragon, that standing and talking is an unfortunate role we play as mediators.' He smiled. 'Once we can start training you, it will become... far more interesting.' He lowered his head toward the group. 'But challenging, and perhaps,' – he glanced at Solaris with veiled concern –'quite dangerous. Are you prepared?'

Sion nodded obediently, regarding the larger dragon with silent reverence.

Cyril nodded as he scanned the group. 'I presume that's why you're all visiting us now? Especially you, Solaris; the impatience to continue your training is ever evident – judging from the twitch on the edge of your jaws.'

Solaris simply glared forward, not looking at anything in particular. 'No, in fact, it's the idiot with the voice of a child.'

'Who?' Sion answered curiously as many eyes hemmed in on him. 'I've never met another dragon hatchling, or... kid, was it?' He blinked up at Sparx, who was grinning at him cheekily. 'Hey! Maybe it's Gah? No, wait, I don't know what dragonflies sound like either...'

Solaris visibly flinched. '_You_! Your voice! It's so annoying!'

Sion immediately frowned as he recognised her. 'What? No, it's not! You're the one who keeps yelling at people! Like you yelled at me. Meanie.'

Sparx laughed and laid hands behind his head. 'Dragons bickering. Never gets old.'

Cynder, while amused herself, leaned toward Spyro. 'Who uses words like... "meanie"? Maybe Solaris has a point...'

Spyro just shook his head in wonder as Solaris chastised Sion on that very subject.

'What's all this noise?' Volteer inquiring voice sounded as he and Telsa joined them, eyeing the Ice and Earth Guardians curiously. Spyro quickly noticed strange grins on Cyril and Terrador's faces as Sion and Solaris calmed down.

'What? What's so funny?' he said.

Cyril shook his head lightly down at the young purple dragon. 'Oh... it's not funny. Just... missed. The sound of young dragons in one place, bickering over trivial matters. It brings back some dear memories – of the good old days.'

Telsa nodded in agreement. 'Exactly. My boy needs to be among his own generation – I think coming here was the right decision.'

Spyro cleared his throat. 'Now, can we _please _get on to why we're here?'

'Hm?' Volteer replied quickly. 'Oh yes. First... you and Cynder's mission! Did you receive your reward?'

Cynder's eyes lit up. 'Actually, we did. This morning.'

Cyril frowned curiously. 'This morning? How strange... we sent the courier yesterday.'

'Well, he lost a lot of the gems in the market and had to get it restocked.' Spyro explained. 'I didn't mind, I was just happy to get gems at all.'

Sion and Telsa were suddenly quite stiff, before she shot her son a scornful stare. 'Sion! Apologise now, young drake!'

The bronze drake was suddenly very nervous and stumbled over his words, especially in the presence of the Guardians... and Spyro. Solaris couldn't help but grin evilly.

'I'm... s-so sorry, Spyro... I didn't know that stuff was for you...'

Spyro simply raised a brow. 'What? I don't care about losing gems, so don't worry about it. Cynder, on the other claw...'

Solaris cut them off with an annoyed hiss. 'Don't let that fool talk again. Get on with it!' She stared up at the electric Guardian. 'Volteer, when can we resume our lessons? We haven't even studied Earth or Electric dragons yet.' She glanced at Sion dejectedly. 'And do we have to put up with this idiot now as well?'

Cynder frowned as Sion glared back at her; not retaliating in the Guardians' presence. 'You should really stop putting him down, Solaris. It's not helping.'

Cyril furrowed his brow roughly at the blue dragoness as well. 'Is it customary for Magma dragons to insult their peers?'

Solaris only answered with a dismissive grunt. 'Hmph...'

Volteer glanced between them uncomfortably. 'Well... yes. That is what Telsa and I were discussing' – Cyril scoffed – 'before you came. Unfortunately, he needs to catch up on the Fire and Ice dragons whilst continuing on with the rest of the class. But Telsa here has a sharp mind, so I believe she can help him with some reading material of her own.'

As Telsa nodded with approval, Sion was less than thrilled. 'Mom! I don't wanna read books. I want to train! With the Earth dragon!'

'His name's Terrador, dear.' She shook her head fondly. 'And no, we can't interrupt the entire class schedule just because you don't like reading.' She glanced at Spyro craftily. 'And from what I've heard, Spyro here does. Do you want to ruin his day even more?'

'No!' Sion shook his head profusely. 'Never!'

She nodded shortly. 'Good. Then let's go home and start right now.'

Sion lowered his head, but followed without complaint. As the doors let them out, he gave one last, longing look at the group as the doors shut in front of him. Cynder and Sparx blinked, startled – at the suddenly obvious carving on the inside gate.

'Whoa! Where did that come from?'

Cynder stared in wonder. 'So that's where the Dark District got its name...'

Solaris raised a brow in disbelief. 'What? You mean you never noticed the giant black bird before? And you've both been here more than me.'

Volteer beamed with a child-like enthusiasm. 'Ah! So you've finally found Vorghala! Unfortunately, he's not our next subject in terms of deities... let me ask you something. How many of these depictions have you found?'

Sparx simply frowned with confusion. 'Depictions? Deities? What are you on about now, Volteer?'

Spyro simply bowed his head thoughtfully. 'Hm... he's the third. I think we've seen Levyr already.'

'We have?' Cynder asked.

'Remember? The entrance to the bathhouse?'

Sparx blinked realisation. 'Oh... yeah.'

'Wait...' Solaris cut in. 'If the god of Shadow is Vorghala, and the goddess of water is Levyr, what's the name of that one on this Hall's entrance?'

Cyril stopped Volteer with a swipe of his wing. 'Don't give away everything just yet, Volteer. Keep that tongue in check! It is better they find these things out for themselves. Or wait until your appropriate lesson.'

Volteer nodded quickly. 'Ah yes. The pursuit of knowledge, far more rewarding if you find it yourself, or even better, learning it by accident...' He smiled at Solaris. 'Though your curiosity is... how to put it... refreshing?'

Solaris eyed him flatly. 'Never mind that. When's our next lesson?'

'Ah. How does tomorrow sound, my dear? Same time as it usually is. Sion's already been notified, of course.'

The young dragons looked pleased with the news, with Solaris bowing her head heavily. 'Finally! That's all I wanted to know.' She turned tail to leave with barely contained frustration. 'And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to blow something up.'

Sparx could only form a "wha–" with his small mouth as she barged out through one of the Hall's doors.

Terrador studied her departure closely. 'Volteer, you should take care – I will hazard a guess those two will not get along in a classroom.'

'Nonsense! Some degree of rivalry is healthy in an academic environment.'

Terrador shook his head, cleared his throat to address those remaining. 'Now onto you three: Spyro, Cynder, Sparx. While Solaris and Sion will be fine on their own, being new residents of Warfang and no attachment to their names, I feel the need to... warn you about coming events.'

'What do you mean?' Cynder asked, a twinge of anxiety flashing through her. 'Attachment to their names...?'

The Earth Guardian nodded. 'The repairs to Warfang are nearly complete, and while we still have the Light and Dark districts to clear, along with the prison district... we believe it is time to summon the various species of the continent and find out how Malefor and Deep War has affected them... including any remaining dragons.' He regarded them sympathetically. 'Cynder; I know that many may look upon you unfavourably, or even seek revenge for your past under Malefor. Knowing this, a small part of me would rather them not come at all...' He sighed mournfully. 'But we _must_ know the state of our races. It will heavily impact the future and our decisions henceforth – I hope you understand.'

Cynder nodded reluctantly. 'But... what can I do about it? What if some of these dragons... what if they attack me?'

Spyro tensed his arms against the ground. 'I won't let them.'

Volteer shook his head with concern. 'Spyro, we appreciate your desire to protect her. But you also do not want to start any unnecessary trouble or grievances with our visitors. There are some very old and respected dragons among those we hope to find... and if these dragons seek to harm Cynder, things may become... awkward. Technically, these dragons are much older than even Cyril here.'

Sparx eyed the Ice Guardian curiously. 'What... how old are you, Cyril?'

Cyril scrunched his nose up in offense, but answered nonetheless. 'I am... well, four hundred and fifty four.' He glanced at Volteer in annoyance. 'Volteer just loves to bring that up... while he's an old fool himself.'

Volteer grinned. 'Not so much as you, old friend.'

'Oh, do be quiet.'

Terrador glanced down at Cynder. 'The best thing for you to do, Cynder, is what you've already been doing. We've heard good things from the dragons already living here, such as your assisting moles with food supplies; some construction work – not to mention your recent mission. If you make it clear to these dragons you're here to help, you'll earn their trust in time.'

Cyril nodded. 'And if you suspect an attack, you can come to us for protection. Things may get complicated with the elder dragons, but we will not tolerate any attacks on fellow dragons. To do so would be to spit on Ignitus' memory.' He glanced up through the windows despite the shocked glances. 'I'll be sure to remind them of that... if needs demand it.'

Cynder nodded gratefully. 'Thank you, Cyril... that means a lot.'

Volteer bowed his head reluctantly. 'If that's everything, young ones, you should depart. Go! Enjoy the city before it gets crowded with all manner of strange creatures. We are not sure when, but wind dragons have already found willing visitors, some during your mission, even. So be on the lookout for newcomers, perhaps even old friends. And...' He glanced down at Cynder encouragingly. Hopefully not enemies anymore, Cynder.'

Sparx eyed him flatly as Cynder shivered apprehensively. 'Great. Thanks for that, Volteer.'

* * *

As the trio followed Solaris' path out the gates, Sparx flinched as a resounding _boom_ echoing within an instant, the stone rumbled beneath their feet. After recovering from the tremor, the two large guards on either side exchanged annoyed glances.

'Great! Even when she leaves she won't keep it down?'

The explosion came from the training arena domes below. Spyro and Cynder darted forward to inspect the damage, but peering down at the building's rooftop, there wasn't a hint that anything had happened at all – not even smoke or light coming from inside. Spyro, now very concerned as well as curious, began a steady glide down the steps, with Cynder and a wary Sparx trailing behind.

Another _boom _rumbled through the ground as Spyro landed, causing him to wobble a little as Sparx and Cynder chuckled behind him.

'Solaris! You have to be more...' he trailed off as he looked around, 'careful...'

He beheld an untouched arena floor, glistening under a shimmering yellow coat. Solaris glared ahead at an empty floor – except for a large golden orb atop a stone pedestal in the centre of the circular room, rotating and shimmering with electrical jolts. Solaris gave them a single cold glance, blinked, and spat a small fireball in their direction.

The three of them wordless dove in separate directions as the force of the explosion burst through the archway, Sparx immediately screaming at the top of his voice.

'ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU JUST TRY TO BLOW US UP FOR NO REASON YOU STUCK UP LITTLE–'

Solaris eyed the buzzing dragonfly flatly as he continued ranting, her pose unchanged. 'You were interrupting my equivalent of meditation.'

Cynder was about to go the same route as Sparx when she noticed no trace of the fireball, frowning curiously. 'Somehow the magic is being absorbed so it doesn't damage the building...'

Spyro narrowed his eyes alongside Sparx. 'You didn't need to shoot at us.'

'I don't like being interrupted,' she retorted, retracting her battle posture. 'Did you three want something? Or do you actually want me to blow you up?'

Cynder lowered her head towards Spyro's head quietly. 'Spyro, this could be your chance.'

'For what?' he objected rather loudly, earning an annoyed grunt from Solaris.

'For training with the Fire element. We both haven't done much in that regard, you know.'

Spyro raised a brow in surprise, his thoughts drawn to his own fire abilities; now curious how his had improved or not in the three years since his imprisonment. He knew he could possibly learn something from Solaris; given the apparent power of her projectiles.

'You know I can hear you.'

The black dragoness nudged Spyro's side encouragingly, prompting him to swallow his anxiety.

'Alright, then. Solaris... since there's not going to be a Fire Guardian any time soon, could we... train together?'

Solaris raised her scowling brow in surprise. 'Well. Seems you've finally acquired some sense.' She nodded thankfully in Cynder's direction before focusing on Spyro. 'You know, I've been waiting for you to ask that for a while now.'

Sparx stared in disbelief. 'Well, you really don't make it easy.'

'Training shouldn't be easy.'

'That's not–!' Sparx began.

'Sparx!' Cynder cut him off. 'We'd better leave them to it.'

Sparx folded his arms stubbornly as he glared at Solaris. 'I don't trust her – especially not enough to leave my brother alone with her.'

His hostile tone surprised Cynder, but she wasn't sure which way he was looking at it. 'I'm staying with them... to make sure she doesn't blow him up.'

Solaris smirked with amusement. 'I'm afraid a dragonfly is far more susceptible to that. Or do you plan on sitting through a possible firestorm here?'

Sparx slowly shook his head and retreated to a safe distance in the air. 'I'm not leaving, Miss _Doubtfire_, so you might as well forget it!'

Solaris shrugged her shoulders lightly, earning an annoyed flinch from Sparx. 'Suit yourself. Just don't come crying to me when you're reduced to a pile of ashes.'

Cynder smiled, trying not to look worried for them. 'Good luck, Spyro. I'll probably be back home once you've finished... otherwise I'll be in the market. I want to use some of those gems!'

Spyro nodded back, leaning forward to touch her cheek with his before she took off. He glanced up at Sparx, still stubbornly on lookout overhead below the distant ceiling, before directing his attention to the blue dragoness tapping her claw impatiently on the stone floor.

'You done? Because I'm rather anxious to see what you can do.'

Spyro tilted his head curiously. 'Why, exactly?'

'Apart from you being the purple dragon?' Solaris began pacing around him, examining him head-to-tail throughout. 'Let me ask you: what was the first element you used?'

'Fire,' Spyro answered immediately, thoughts of his birthplace coming back to him.

'I suspected as much. Your body shape is what I imagine similar to an adolescent fire dragon... judging from some of the depictions in the library, not to mention the other fire dragons around Warfang. Though... you could do with some physical training.'

Spyro twisted his muzzle in annoyance. 'What's your point, Solaris?'

'I believe you're – biologically – a fire dragon.'

Spyro frowned slightly, the statement somewhat meaningless as he could use all elements.

'And?'

'I think your mother was one too.'

Spyro glanced at the floor. 'What... I don't understand...'

He spotted a hint of sadness in her eyes before she shook her head. 'Never mind. I just thought you would be more curious as to who your parents were.'

'But... why should I be? All the eggs of my generation were destroyed...' Spyro sighed sadly. 'So my parents are probably dead. There's no point being curious if it just means pain wondering about it.'

'Hmm...' Solaris nodded in reluctant agreement. 'You have a point there. But if you are a fire dragon, then that would tell you something about your potential for the element. It's likely you can teach me as much, or more, than I could teach you.'

'Hey!' The two dragons glanced up at the golden speck above them. 'Less talkey, more trainey!'

'Pfft.' Solaris flicked her tongue dismissively. 'So what techniques do you know, Spyro? Fire techniques, obviously.'

'The breath attack.'

Solaris didn't blink. 'And?'

'A flame charge attack.'

Solaris' crimson eyes lit up with interest. 'And?'

He hesitated. '... That's it. That's all I can do.'

She frowned. 'No, seriously, what else can you do? Can you use the fire bomb?'

'I told you, that's it!'

She blinked in disbelief. 'You... can't... do...' She smacked herself in the forehead. 'And you call yourself a fire dragon?'

'_You _said that, not me,' Spyro shot back.

The blue dragoness shook her head. 'The fire bomb is the second-most basic technique of both magma and fire dragons! How can you know the flame charge and not the fire bomb?'

Spyro paused, unable to come up with a proper answer. 'I... don't... know. I have tried, since I came out of the time crystal, but...'

Solaris exhaled. 'Fine, we'll start there.' She pointed her head around the room. 'See the magic coat? As long as you hit it with your techniques, the conduit will absorb the magic back into itself, then redistribute it to the user.'

Spyro studied the orb in surprise. 'Even though it's Electric?'

'Even though it's Electric,' she repeated affirmatively. 'Though it would be safer with a Fire conduit – then we could aim at it as a target. For now, we'll have to make do.'

He studied the shimmering orb with amazement and curiosity as he walked toward it. 'That's... really useful.'

Solaris nodded smugly. 'Well, you can thank me for finding it. Oh, and Volteer too, I suppose.' She adopted a tired slump of the shoulders. 'Do you at least know _how _to do it?'

He nodded, as he recalled some of his first lessons with Ignitus. 'Concentrate the energy at the tip of your tongue, then release the magic as a concentrated burst.'

Solaris smiled with amusement. 'Technically correct... though it's hard to picture that description. Try it – I don't care where you aim. Though I would suggest not hitting the conduit.'

'Aim for her smug face!'

Spyro ignored his brother's suggestion and aimed down his snout at the opposite curved wall, avoiding the orb and Solaris. Hearkening back to his very first lessons in the Dragon Temple, he took a deep breath, condensing his fire magic as much as possible towards his mouth, and after a second, released it. The resulting flaming projectile was very unstable, flipping around as it struggled to hold its orb-like form before splattering over the stone, releasing red flames like a hot puddle. He instantly groaned with disappointment; his fireballs had been so much more potent three years ago.

He braced himself for Solaris' scolding, but she simply nodded to herself. 'Well, that's a step up from, "I don't know". Let me show you mine, now.'

Spyro relaxed a little as his brother called out. 'Ha! You just wanna show off, huh?'

She ignored the overhead voice, adopting a similar battle stance she had previously. She also inhaled deeply as she condensed her magic toward her jaw. Spyro noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that the conduit flashed for an instant as she released it. The blue fireball soared cleanly through the air without any visible spinning whatsoever, leaving red, orange and yellow flames behind it, transfixing Spyro for the brief time it was in the air. The blue orb's form rotated as if in a dance, before hitting the floor and emitting another forceful explosion, forming a wide blazing dome that expanded in many fiery colours. Spyro was forced to shield himself from the light and a resounding shockwave that threw him backwards a few feet. Sparx yelped in the air as he dropped abruptly, before righting himself.

Solaris was unmoved, though when Spyro examined her, she did not seem completely satisfied with it.

'What's wrong? That technique was... almost perfect!' He blinked self-consciously. 'Did I just say that?'

'Such a pointless question.' She sighed. 'I've practiced that ever since I learned it, but I have never been able to limit the force of my fireballs. So without magic, I can't use weaker ones if the situation demands it. Yours...' She raised her brow at him with scrutiny. 'I assume that was... not your strongest?'

Spyro shook his head vigorously. 'No, actually... my fireballs were useful once. Though I could never get blue fire out like you can.'

'Hmm... So you may be able to control yours better than mine, in time.' She bowed her head thoughtfully. 'I don't think I can really teach you anything there. You seemed to do everything right... though...' She grinned. 'I would suggest that instead of – what was it? Concentrating energy on the tip of your tongue? Picture, instead, that you want to spit the largest globule of saliva, with as much force, and as far – as possible. A crude analogy, but it helped me along early on.'

Sparx sniggered loudly. 'So you spit at other dragons for practice? How civilised.'

She scowled upwards. 'Don't _you _of all things question my training methods.'

'Ooh, so that _was _how you trained? Hah!'

'Sparx!'

Solaris eyed him curiously as she silenced the dragonfly. 'Now, about this flame charge...'

* * *

Hunter eyed the wooden stick aimed at his throat, his own tool embedded in the grass several feet away, for what felt like the hundredth time.

'Yeh be dead!'

The Skavenger once again beamed with the pride of a child winning a fight against a bully. Though in Hunter's case, he saw it to be the other way around.

'You do _not _have to yell that every time! We get the message.'

Snotty half-folded his arms with his makeshift weapon in the other. 'Oh, really? Then why yeh even tryin'? We've been going at this fer an hour already.'

Hunter's ears fell back with displeasure, his own accumulated bruises throbbing as a reminder of his repeated failures. 'You haven't exactly been helpful with... _actual _instruction. You seem to prefer wailing on me to pass the time.'

'So what if I do?'

Tytus shook his head with disapproval, but Hunter couldn't help but notice a glint of amusement in the soldier's eyes. 'I warned you, Hunter. An unstable Skavenger is not the best choice of instructors... It's up to you to decide how much that knowledge is worth.'

Hunter stood up from his kneeling position, brandishing his blade once again, despite the tremble in his limbs. 'Again.'

Hunter had picked out a small but open platform just a cheetah's leap from the marketplace, so they could quickly get supplies or ice from one of the dragon merchants. In fact, Hunter felt like he would need some magical ice pretty soon, but he wasn't going to give up without any progress.

Terrador had assigned Tytus to accompany Snotty's release when the cheetah requested backup. While the Earth soldier initially didn't take to his assignment with much enthusiasm, he had to admit that supervising a feline and canine sparring so one-sidedly was more entertaining than watching the wall for intruders or patrolling the city.

He wasn't the only one, either. Several bored guards, as well as off-duty merchants, typically watched them for one bout before moving on. Given that all Hunter could do was defend, their guests did this often.

Snotty grinned cheekily in anticipation for the incoming round. Anger and annoyance surged through Hunter's limbs, given how much the Skavenger was obviously enjoying their spat.

And yet despite Hunter's complaints, he had learned a lot from the first hour alone. Snotty didn't hold back in the slightest, but as a result, Hunter was gradually able to block more and more of his attacks as he learned his movements. Of course, he hadn't been able to attack, let alone land a hit. _But_, he thought, _at least I'm was learning defence_... _whilst drowning under a flurry of vicious blows... urgh_.

A few bouts later, Tytus stepped between them as Hunter knelt, his limbs shaking uncontrollably. Snotty was all too happy to back off and smirk at his handiwork.

'Hunter, I'm not sure how cheetahs train... but it looks to me like you're spent.' He glanced over the cheetah's body with concern. 'I'm sorry – I should have stopped you sooner.'

'Nonsense, I...' Hunter tried to pull himself up with his wooden blade, but ended up losing his balance and tipping to the side. Tytus swiftly pushed him back upright with his thick forearm. 'That's enough, Hunter. I need to get Snotty back in his cell... and perhaps you to an infirmary.'

Hunter shook his head in frustration as he eyed Snotty, grinning over the dragon's shoulder. A few crimson and green gems were clumped together in a garden, drawing his gaze longingly.

_If I were a dragon, I wouldn't be finished..._

He flinched in frustration as he studied Snotty smirking again. The Skavenger knew he wasn't done, and was purposefully being as unhelpful as possible to prolong his time out of jail. If he stopped now, he would likely need to train with Snotty again... and let him out. Again and again.

_... The worst part is, he's right about that... I need to keep going. If that means letting him out more, so be it, but what of the consequences?_

'So, kitty-cat, what'll it be, eh? Yeh gonna let this skylubber drag me back, or yeh want me to hack yer arms off for real this time?'

Hunter managed to stand, instinctively massaging his sore wrists and bruises. 'We're done here, Tytus, but I'll likely need your help with him again.'

The earth soldier nodded with approval. 'Fair enough. It's all well and good that you want to improve yourself... Just remember that you need to keep your limbs to use a sword. If you give this... _captain_ a real blade, you risk losing them – as do others.'

'I'm well aware, soldier.'

Tytus used his tail to steer the reluctant Snotty back towards his cell, despite the canine's rather hearty complaints.

'Hey! Yeh call an hour a training day!?'

Tytus rumbled with amusement. 'Perhaps you should've thought of that before beating Hunter to a pulp.'

Snotty groaned but allowed the dragon to herd him away. Hunter immediately heard collective sighs of relief down below; it seemed the Skavenger had alerted the entire district to his presence with his carrying on. He exhaled heavily and loosened his body as he sat dangling his long legs over the plateau's edge. The height at which he was sitting would scare moles and Atlawa, but not a cheetah. He tilted his head thoughtfully as he couldn't ever recall falling from a decent height and not landing on his feet.

'Heeeyy! Up here, cheetah!'

Hunter eyed the golden dot and the black dragoness as they circled down to meet him, smiling despite his aching body. Sparx seemed exhausted from the flight, mouthing noiselessly as he descended.

'Hello, Hunter; I was about to go hunting and–' Cynder blinked with surprise as she saw several bruises over his arms, feet and one on his cheek. 'What happened to you!?'

'Let's just say... I let Snotty out to train–'

'You let that Psycho OUT!?'

Even the market below seemed to flinch at Sparx's yell. Cynder just sighed.

'Hunter, did you–'

'I took necessary precautions – never fear, Cynder.'

Cynder managed to smile, despite Sparx folding his arms and mumbling. 'Yeah, yeah, thanks for answering...'

'He's back in his cell now,' Hunter explained quietly. 'He managed to give me quite a beating before Tytus stopped the fight and took him away.'

Sparx grimaced. 'Good to hear _someone _has common sense.'

'Seriously, though, Hunter: why?' Cynder asked. 'I mean, there's gotta be some cheetahs who use swords.'

Hunter waved a paw in front of him. 'Well, I wouldn't say I have many options here in Warfang.'

Cynder nodded thoughtfully. Though there were quite a few cheetahs in Warfang, most were merchants or hunters, all of which used small blades or bows, never any large weapons. Any that did were likely back in their valley encampment with the rest of the village.

'What about... Chief Prowlus?'

Hunter and Sparx looked up at her in surprise.

'What about him?' The dragonfly bounced back. 'He's not anywhere near Warfang, and he doesn't seem like the type to come teach Hunter for free – if you know what I mean.'

'No; it may be a possibility.' Hunter glanced up at the wall. 'Have you heard about the summit the Guardians are planning?'

Cynder nodded. 'We've probably heard a bit too much, if you ask Solaris.'

'Well – it's entirely possible that Prowlus will represent our people in the event. Despite the several cheetahs already living here...' He chuckled to himself. 'He wouldn't trust this job to any but himself.'

Sparx smirked as he glanced between them. 'I don't think he'd like it here... given he'd be surrounded by – how did he describe them?' He brandished his arms mockingly. '"The ones who caused all our misfortunes!"'

Cynder and Hunter chuckled at his attempt at the Chief's guttural growl. 'Heh... no doubt you have a point there, Sparx. I'm hoping that he'll be able to see past his own doubt enough to trust the dragons. He did, after all, come to their aid... though more on my account than theirs.'

Cynder couldn't help but be disappointed. 'That's a shame.'

Sparx hovered next to her horn and patted it. 'Hey, I doubt he hates you anymore, at least.'

Cynder rolled her eyes. 'Thanks for the vote of confidence.'

He grinned back at her wryly. 'You're welcome.'

Hunter raised his ears as he heard a familiar screech coming from above, looking up to see Talon diving for them, incoming sunlight pushing through his long wings.

'What's that?' Cynder said.

Hunter stood up despite his muscles stinging in protest, turning around to study the square before them. 'We have visitors. Better get clear!'

'Yeah; too bad they haven't moved that filthy ship yet.' Cynder could see the dark shape up high too, while Sparx was dumbfounded.

'Guys? Wanna let me in on this little secret?'

'Just follow us,' Cynder answered, somewhat anxiously as she recognised the shape's silhouette.

The three made sure the platform was clear as the shape – now revealed to a medium sized hot air balloon – hovered down from high above the city wall. Hunter waved up at them with his wooden sword to guide them down. The balloon seemed to drift off course on approach, but a couple of guards were quick to intercept the basket and physically guide it down to their position – though a couple of alarmed cries sounded from it.

'They sound like moles...' Hunter mused. 'I'm afraid I know little of any still living outside Warfang.'

Sparx smirked as Cynder stared up at the balloon curiously. 'Oh, you'll see – they might as well be moles.'

They approached the balloon as it landed, with a fire dragon guard blocking their view. The first thing they heard was a gruff voice complaining indignantly behind his outstretched wings.

'I told you, Fire dragon, I am perfectly fine landing this bird basket myself! We don't need you dragons to hold our hands all the time. So beat it.'

'Pay him no heed, good sir.' That voice was the alarmed one from before, speaking in a strange accent. 'We apprrreciate the help. But this city... tis' so big! Ah, I knew I should 'ave stayed down...'

'What are you on about, you little dwarf? You can't even see!'

'I... can tell when zere's no ground beneath my feet.'

'Hm. Well, we never have real ground anyway...'

The fire dragon bowed and took off towards the wall, and Sparx grinned widely as he greeted them with his arms wide.

'Kane! Mole-Yair! It's been too long!'

The grey Atlawa raised his bushy eyebrows at their greeting party, his muzzle parting slightly as a token of amusement. 'So! This is what Warfang has to offer, huh?' He walked forward and around Sparx. 'A mosquito...' He nodded at Hunter respectfully, 'a cheetah warrior, and–'

His eyes shot wide open the moment he glimpsed Cynder, right in front of him. He immediately hopped backward and whipped out a long, sturdy bamboo staff with a sharp blade protruding from the end. Cynder's only reaction was to frown slightly, but stood her ground.

Sparx immediately flew in front of Kane's suspicious gaze. 'Easy there, ingrate; she's with us now.'

Kane regarded him momentarily, ignoring his sarcastic quip. 'Really? Well if such a fragile stick like you trusts her, one such as me should be fine.'

'Speaking of fragile sticks...' Hunter grunted curiously, staring at the strange staff. 'How do you wield bamboo as a weapon?'

Kane's heavy brow rose a little at the question, giving Hunter his full attention. 'Well, the Tall Plains have unique forests which are dangerous simply for the jagged bamboo branches sticking up all over the freaking place...'

Cynder grunted under her breath as the two tall mammals conversed. 'Yeah, nice to meet you too.'

Sparx chuckled as he hovered next her head. 'Mhm. Like I said: ingrate.'

The much shorter Manweersmall inched forward, passing blindly between Hunter and Kane, sniffing forward as he took in the new scents of Warfang. 'What was that? That voice sounds oddly familiar, but different.' Sparx and Cynder watched him as he slowly approached them, finally stopping in front of them. He sniffed again, and his long, grey moustache seemed to stand on end as he fell back slightly.

'Ach! I smell more of Cynder's beasts! Kane, we must–!'

Sparx waved a hand casually. 'Relax, Mole-Yair. It's Cynder herself.'

The Manweersmall froze in place for a full second, before his stick clattered to stone, his worn body suddenly shooting around as he blindly attempted to escape the area. Cynder immediately shot the dragonfly a disapproving glare, to which he answered with a cheeky shrug. 'Sorry, couldn't help myself.'

Kane cut off his conversation with Hunter for a moment, frowning at the sight below him before catching Mole-Yair by his worn but sturdy red overalls.

'Can it, Manweersmall. Can't you see I'm discussing something important!? The pinhead said to relax, so relax!'

Mole-Yair didn't seem to hear him, instead choosing to run in mid-air. 'Cynder! Wingz! Screechez!'

Cynder stepped forward cautiously as she examined him sympathetically. 'Mole-Yair, I'm very sorry for any trouble I caused for you and your people... but I'm not the same Cynder anymore.'

The Manweersmall immediately stopped as he listened to her, turning his blind gaze in her direction. 'Indeed? Well you zound far friendlier than you did under Boyzitbig! Those deafening roars really sent us Manweersmalls scurrying underground.' He glanced up at his annoyed captor. 'Kane? Is that really Cynder?'

'Yes! So stop asking me and take a look for yourself!'

As he dropped the smaller mammal, Mole-Yair huffed and waved a hand in front of his face. 'Oh...'

'Ahem, Mole-Yair...' Sparx began, choosing his words carefully. 'I would ask if you've been living under a rock the past three years, but that'd be a stupid question.'

He received a slight chuckle in response. 'Ah, it's good to hear your voice again, Sparx. And yes, us small, isolated creatures have not heard much in regards to the wars engulfing the land. Though, the Dragons did entrust us with Warfang's location in what brief times we met.'

'How did a...' – Cynder hesitated to pronounce it – 'Manweersmall and Atlawa fall in together like this? Especially being isolated and all.'

Mole-Yair raised his cane to tap his skull. 'It'z a somewhat long story, Cynder. But, ze way I can best sum it up is that the Atlawas reached out to other species not long after Spyro came and saved us both.'

'Hey!' Kane called out, eyeing the Manweersmall suspiciously. 'You better not tell them I'm going soft!'

'What would _you _call it then, Kane?'

The Atlawa fell silent as he continued.

'We Manweersmalls needed materials to rebuild our homes, given how ze scene looked after Spyro and his mighty dragon friend were done – wiz everything, including our homes.'

Sparx folded his arms smugly. _Spyro's going to hear about this later._

'But! Perchance, a dragon came to us with a proposal! He said he was an "esteemed Ice Protector" or something like that – but only really remember ze arrogance in his voice. However, he brought a message to us from the Atlawa about supplying bamboo for any unfortunate within flying distance. So, through ze dragon's visits, eventually Kane came to us himself in zis very balloon.' He chuckled lightly. 'I think he took to us quickly, if only because we could tolerate the volcano's fury when he could barely stand it.'

Kane folded his arms. 'Please. I still don't know how you tiny creatures can survive there, being the puniest creatures there bar the fire beetles.'

Mole-Yair nodded in his direction gratefully. 'He and a few other Atlawa helped us rebuild our homes, but were in a hurry to get away. We each had occasional visits from dragons and Atlawa over the years, when finally Kane calls me to action, telling me ze Deep War is over! Well, whatever zis war was, it must 'ave been set in motion due to ze Apes' occupation.'

Hunter eyed the Atlawa curiously. 'How did you know the War was over? I don't recall any dragons visiting Tall Plains recently...'

Kane gazed at him seriously. 'The God of the Shrine told me so.'

There was a moment of silence. 'Uh huh,' Sparx answered flatly. 'I don't remember visiting–'

'Oh be quiet!' Kane answered impatiently. 'How many times are you gonna repeat that, Sparx!?'

Sparx simply grinned. 'Until it gets old,' he paused for a moment, 'like you.'

* * *

Solaris and Spyro spent the next several hours alternating between practicing their new and old techniques under the observation of the other. After the first few attempts at both Spyro's firebombs and Solaris' flame charge, Sparx had quickly gotten fed up and left long ago.

Spyro was picking up his old fire bomb technique relatively quickly, but Solaris pointed out that the conduit would only flash when a technique's magical output exceeded its initial input to be worth using. Using that as a guide, Spyro's bombs still lacked their previous power, and hence did not elicit any response from the Electric artifact. Solaris picked up flame projection rather quickly, but using it in such a way as to move her heavier body was proving very difficult. Despite her repeated failures, though, she proved to be a patient student of sorts, never snapping or insulting Spyro like he was expecting. She did openly chastise herself, however. The conduit, similarly, did not flash for her either; it seemed her output was too unfocused to be detected.

'Cursed spurts!' Her last attempt to propel herself a significant distance led her to only shake her body in seemingly random directions, her projections imprecise and mistimed. From the first few tries, Spyro had learned to stay a good distance away as her sharp wingtalons nearly caught him in the eye. 'Projecting from the mouth is one thing... but blasting from my rear just sounds so absurd I cannot even picture it!'

Spyro couldn't help but smile, but suppressed a chuckle at her possible retaliation. 'I'm guessing your spitting analogy doesn't work here?'

'Obviously; the resulting picture is rather... disconcerting.'

Spyro observed that while her projections were instantly more powerful than his, the same problem had come up; she couldn't control them properly.

'Have you seen other Magma dragons try this technique before? I assume they can use simple fire techniques, as well as some Earth ones.'

Solaris shook of the slight dust from occasional bumping into walls. 'No, in fact... that's why I need to learn it. There's a possibility I could be capable, while the rest of my people would not.'

Spyro narrowed his eyes in surprise. 'So... you want to better than the rest of them?'

Solaris glanced at him, before her gaze danced away defensively. 'No. Well – yes, but that's beside the point. I'm talking about weight, here. Tell me something; how did you fare when you first started using this... flame charge?'

Spyro was surprised at the rather broad subject. 'It's... well, hard to explain. When I first used it, it was rather weak, but was still useful for getting myself out of a bad position. But as I used it more and more, I was able to burn more enemies as well as travel further.'

'Not to mention the fact that you were lighter... am I correct?'

Spyro blinked curiously as she continued.

'As you grow, especially as a dragon, your weight becomes exponentially more difficult to move around with magic. That may be why I haven't seen any magma dragons use it. They would find it especially difficult, considering how heavy most of them are.'

'But not you,' Spyro surmised insightfully. 'You hope that you will be able to use this even as an adult – and that will distinguish you among your people.'

Solaris jerked her head away from him, before eyeing him suspiciously. 'What are you, an oracle?' She snorted derisively before he could answer. 'It doesn't matter what you or I think... Knowledge is valuable regardless of how it might make me feel.'

There was a long pause as Solaris refused to meet his gaze. She glanced at the floor, surprising Spyro with an almost timid look.

'Well... what do you think? Will I be able to use this as an adult?'

Spyro thought for a moment, wanting to be honest but not wanting to upset her. 'Well, you would have the best chance. After all, if you were the first magma dragon to fly over the sea in...'

'...Five hundred years.'

Spyro couldn't help but notice the hurried tone of her insert.

'... If you say so. Well, as long as your raw power increases enough as you mature... then I guess, yeah. You can, as long as you practice.'

'Oh, I will.' She smirked smugly. 'In case you didn't notice, I enjoy destroying things. Or at least; things leading up to that outcome.' Her timid demeanour vanished as quickly as it came, pinning him with a cold gaze. 'Your turn. I want to see your fire bomb trigger the conduit!'

* * *

By the time Solaris and Spyro finally finished their extended training session, the sun was beginning to sink toward the Blowback Mountains; the two dragons departing the training dome and trotting down the large stone steps as they felt too drained to fly. Despite his initial aversion to the whole idea, as well as his exhaustion, Spyro found himself feeling fulfilled and happy with how he'd spent the afternoon. _Most likely because that's the first time I've really trained in years... And yet, we learned from each other. I taught someone else._

Solaris, despite being equally satisfied with the training session, attempted to project contempt. 'What are you so happy about?'

'Well, we've both learned something valuable. I think that's enough reason to be happy.'

'Hmph.' Her response was upbeat despite her defensive front. 'You still have a long way to go with your bombs. You may have gotten it to flash once, but your bombs are still too weak.'

'And you have even further to go. You're more likely to hurt yourself than an enemy!'

Spyro grinned at her annoyed flinch as she couldn't come up with a good comeback.

'Well... I suppose it wasn't a total waste of time.'

Spyro snorted. _It's impossible to get a compliment from her._

'But... thank you.' He raised his brow in surprise. 'I doubt any other Fire dragon would have been willing to teach me. Or put up with me. Now I have the means to master the technique on my own, if need be.'

Spyro smiled self-consciously. 'It was Cynder's idea in the first place... You should probably be thanking her.'

'I think I'll leave that task to you.' She glanced at him flatly, ignoring the slight flush coming through his scales. 'She's quite a bit more sensible than you.'

Spyro sighed lightly, but let it slide. 'I suppose you're going to the library now?' He immediately scolded himself internally for blurting that out.

'Indeed. I still need to find something on Convexity.' She frowned at him. 'Nice help you were with that, by the way.'

'Ugh, I told you already–'

'It's just as well. There may not be any information available, given the amount of material I've already gone through – along with Areth's convenient lack of knowledge on the subject.'

Spyro hesitated before he spoke. 'Maybe your time would be better spent... looking up information on Fire techniques? Or their history?'

Solaris grunted impassively. '...Perhaps. It would certainly more enjoyable.' She eyed him coldly. 'But you of all dragons should not forget about it.'

'I don't think I could, even if I wanted to.'

She nodded with masked approval at his miserable frown. 'In time, these Guardian dragons will have to be prepared. And I aim to prepare them.'

'How?' Spyro asked, almost pleadingly.

'That's what I'm still trying to figure out.' She raised her head calmly. 'Speaking of Guardian dragons: it seems the city has yet more visitors. How wonderful.'

Thankful for the distraction, Spyro couldn't help but open his jaw at the flowing shapes forming under the sun's dimming gaze. He turned back towards the Hall to alert the Guardians, but Volteer and Cyril were already out the front gates, taking off in a hurry, with Terrador not far behind.

'We'd better follow them.' Spyro pushed his body to take off after them, anticipation and worry flowing through his body as much as the air around him.

Solaris followed reluctantly, pushing herself to keep up despite the added difficulty. And yet, she, Spyro and the Guardians arrived together: standing at the wall with similar anticipation, soon joined wordlessly by Sparx and Cynder, though Hunter was absent.

Solaris bristled with hostility as, against the orange and purple skyline before her, they spotted the leading dragon: with cold white scales, multiple spiky ice frills running down its shoulders and hips, a flowing, long tail, and massive, triple-jointed wings – a sign of age like no other. An ancient Ice dragon.


	16. Heart of a Hunter

Chapter 15

Heart of a Hunter

* * *

The small pod of Ice dragons, despite the size of its leader, soon passed over their heads. They flew in strict formation even as they swooped down to land down in the central platforms of the city. Cynder couldn't help but be disappointed that there were only a dozen or so, but she quickly told herself that not all of them would have come for the summit.

Cyril was the first to greet the leader as the pod landed, several of its younger dragons glancing around in wonder, like they had never seen Warfang before. That, or they were impressed at how quickly it had been repaired.

The rest of the large greeting party waited on a lower platform as Cyril addressed the leader. Cynder inwardly cringed as the ancient dragon scanned them all one by one, his gaze lingering on her but otherwise showing no more recognition of her presence. His elongated horns were encapsulated by long and thick frills that gave his scalp the look of an icy crown. His massive wings were mired with many dark spots along with a few lingering holes – signalling he'd seen his fair share of battles. The raised, wide wings along with his slight, stiff movements made him look more like a massive statue than a living dragon.

Cyril cleared his throat calmly, though regarded the elder with respect, as he stood at attention at the head-taller Ice dragon.

'Shadros – this is an unexpected pleasure.'

The old dragon bowed his head slightly. 'Cyril. I am glad to see Warfang still in one piece.' He scanned the surrounding buildings, with some apparent difficulty turning his head around. 'The repairs have come along well. I assume you had help from the Earth dragons?'

Terrador stepped forward as he rumbled his own greeting. 'Well, Cyril and I were pre-occupied with... more urgent matters.'

As he gestured toward the large airship still docked, Shadros smiled. 'I can see that. My, is that really you, Terrador?' He leaned his long neck forward to examine the Earth Guardian. 'How far you've come... the last time I saw you was when you were... almost a hatchling, still in training. Now you are a Guardian too, like Rhythor was before you.'

Cyril frowned subtly, but Shadros pulled his head back a little. 'I... am sorry, Cyril; young Terrador. I spoke out of turn. The... perks of old age...'

Sparx couldn't help but whisper to the others around him, so the dragons above couldn't hear them. 'Who's Rhythor?'

Spyro grunted sadly. 'I think... he was the previous Earth Guardian, before he died in battle. I'm not sure, but Cyril, Volteer and even Ignitus might have known him.' He glanced over at Volteer, and even the Electric Guardian looked rather subdued at the name. _Ignitus..._

They all fell silent as the larger dragons continued. Terrador raised his head to examine the rest of the pod, masking his growing apprehension at what he was about to ask.

'Is this everyone, Shadros?'

The old dragon craned his neck downwards. 'This is all who wanted to come. Since we got news of the war's end, our kind has split off from each other. Some believed it would be wiser to stay on Dante's Freezer, while others craved to explore the other lands in small groups with the grublins numbers thinned. This group are those who wished to return to civilisation...' – he emitted a low, sad rumble – '...or what remains of it.'

Cyril shook his head rather bluntly as he turned to address the rest of the pod. 'Well, there's no use meandering down here for the rest of you. I assume you all know where the Water district?' After a few nods, including one from Shadros himself, he nodded shortly. 'Good. Then off you go! You're causing enough of a scene, especially considering our other expected guests...'

Some of them gave him an annoyed but unsurprised look as they dispersed outwards towards the Water district. Volteer couldn't help but chuckle down from below.

'That's a rather uncouth way to greet your brethren, Cyril! One would garner the impression that you did not miss them.'

'Of course I d–' Cyril groaned, turning his head ever so slightly. 'Shut up, Volteer.'

Volteer didn't lose his grin as the rest of the Ice dragons left, leaving only two. Shadros, and a younger female, who looked up at Cyril with the same, pale blue eyes, causing him to recoil a little.

'Vanah? I... was not expecting you to come...'

The ice dragoness rolled her eyes coldly, which instantly reminded him of Solaris. 'It's good to see you _too_, father.'

Cyril shook his head with disbelief. 'Forgive my surprise, I just presumed–'

'–that we wouldn't see each other anymore? Mother's very much aware, father.' She snorted derisively, but stood proudly. 'I've been assisting Shadros with governance while you were gone, and those here look to both of us for leadership. I'm here on business, Cyril; let me make that perfectly clear.'

The Ice Guardian didn't show any further reaction as Shadros turned and nodded down at her with approval.

'Ah, she has been a wonderful help. An overfish here, too large a fire there, uneven sharing of supplies... many such things I would not have picked up without her.' He gazed back at Cyril softly. 'Regardless of your family grievances, I am thankful you produced such a resourceful dragoness...'

As father and daughter stiffened, he raised his heavy brow apologetically. 'Oh... there I go again...'

'Never mind...' Cyril began with a sigh, turning to the audience behind him. 'The both of you should meet Spyro and his companions. Spyro, Cynder, Sparx, Solaris... if you will?'

The four of them hopped up a level to eye Vanah and Shadros, the smaller dragons positioning themselves between Cyril and Terrador. Cynder couldn't meet Shadros' eyes for more than a second, seeing an instant hostility contrasting his otherwise gentle countenance. Thankfully, Vanah bowed her head respectfully in greeting, giving her some measure of relief. _At least one of their leaders doesn't hate me..._

Terrador smiled down at them warmly. 'As you can see, Spyro and Cynder have returned, safe and sound. I assume you know about them and Malefor? And...'

Shadros nodded curtly, cutting him off. 'Yes, yes. We heard the tale from our own Ice guard that came for us.' His soft demeanour had suddenly evaporated. 'But Cynder is still here?'

Cynder tried once again to look at him, but his attention was focused on Cyril. She looked instead to Vanah, who shook her head morosely.

'Of course! She stayed with Spyro all the way since they were discovered,' Cyril spoke firmly. 'I see no reason to change that now.'

Shadros glanced back at Cynder, but only for a moment. 'I... see. Cyril, Terrador, we'll have to discuss this another time. I am fast wishing for a long rest...'

His attention was diverted again when both their eyes fell on Solaris. Vanah stepped curiously to sniff at her, causing Solaris to recoil, affronted.

'Keep your nose to yourself!'

Sparx couldn't help but snigger a little as Vanah raised her brow in confusion.

'Where do you come from, young one? Why weren't you with us on Dante's Freezer? Though I am impressed you made it here on your own...'

Sparx quickly shook his head warningly at the twitch of Solaris' muzzle, but Vanah didn't even acknowledge his presence. Terrador did the same, and Shadros narrowed his eyes as he watched her.

'Vanah, I'm afraid you're–'

Solaris cut everyone off with a low hiss.

'I. _Am not_. AN ICE DRAGON.'

Vanah recoiled in shock.

'That much is obvious... despite her colour.' Shadros said coldly. 'Vanah, she's one of _them_. See how she's marked by those...' – he growled softly – '...primitive wing claws?'

Solaris instinctively tried to retract her wings, but decided against it, even as Vanah narrowed her eyes down at her. Both of them instantly turned to Cyril with accusing gazes.

'Cyril!' Vanah hissed. 'What are you thinking, letting a _barbarian_ slip into Warfang like this?'

Solaris couldn't help but scoff in amusement. 'Yes, because barbarians make excellent spies.'

Shadros twitched his wings angrily. 'You, keep quiet. You have no bearing on this discussion.'

'Oh, there's a "discussion" about me now?' Solaris feigned a thrilled tone. 'I'm so flattered.'

'Solaris!' Spyro warned under his breath. 'You're nothelping.'

She only rolled her eyes in response. 'Just like they are?'

Vanah and Shadros tensed as if readying for a battle, while Solaris only responded with a silent stare up at them, despite her much lower stature. Cyril hastily stepped between them, baring his fangs and expelling a cold mist from his jaw as a warning.

'Enough! Vanah, Shadros, we really must take this discussion elsewhere...'

They fell silent, but nodded hastily as the three took off towards the upper city. Terrador and Sparx quickly exhaled their relief, as if a storm had passed overhead.

'Uh... what just happened?' Cynder asked, to no one in particular.

Solaris remained staring up at the departing Ice dragons. 'That's none of your concern.'

Terrador bent his neck down towards her guardedly, apprehension adorning his heavy visage. 'Solaris, did you know this would happen? You must–'

'I _said_ it's none of your concern.'

Terrador frowned slightly, glancing at Volteer, who climbed up and watched her worriedly.

'It _is_ our concern, young dragoness... If you stir up trouble with them, it may become unpleasant for both parties. Cyril said so before: we will not tolerate dragons attacking each other. We expected some ire towards Cynder... but this could be just as dangerous.'

As Volteer nodded in solemn agreement, Solaris glanced between them reluctantly.

'Fine. I presume you want me to stay away from those proud fools? Gladly.' She moved forward to take off before they could chastise her any further, but not before turning towards Volteer coldly. 'Oh, and I suggest you get the training area ready with some real targets soon...' She narrowed her red eyes almost as if to say, "or I'll destroy something else," before taking off toward the training dome once again.

Sparx watched her go, not even trying to look surprised. 'Everyone watch out; it'll be her lair at this rate.'

'Terrador...' Spyro asked uncertainly, 'is there history between the Ice and Magma dragons?'

Volteer answered quickly, but not with the expected enthusiasm considered normal in his lessons. 'I'm afraid so, Spyro, but it is not written on parchment... Rather, in both races' collective memory, in which neither are willing to divulge what happened.' He puckered his muzzle curiously. 'If only Cyril or Solaris would be willing to do so... Oh, the things we could learn...'

Terrador shook his head doubtfully. 'Not all knowledge is helpful, Volteer.'

'Nonsense!' Volteer said, his smile returning. 'An awareness of the world around us is always valuable! Especially considering the potential applications of–'

The Earth Guardian just sighed quietly. _Someone seems to have forgotten all that happened in the war..._

Cynder followed Solaris' lumbering ascension against the stone backdrop, her steely gaze never leaving the path of her flight. Despite it all, Cynder couldn't help but feel a little relieved that she wasn't the only one who was looked down upon. _Though, we can't help each other if she keeps isolating herself all the time._

'We should join them, Volteer...' Terrador began solemnly as he gazed down at Cynder sympathetically. 'Like we feared, Cynder, I suspect Shadros is one of those older dragons that remember some of your... past deeds firsthand, and are less forgiving of it than us younger generations. I would suggest you keep your distance, at least for a while. Remember, if you suspect anything that might put you in danger, come to one of us, or, failing that, any of the guards you've become acquainted with.' He managed to smile with encouragement, eyes darting up to Volteer. 'I believe you wanted to mention something, Volteer?'

'... And a combination of... What?' The Electric Guardian raised his head with a start, as Terrador tilted his head toward the young dragons. 'Oh! Yes – in addition to our lessons tomorrow, Nadina has a big hunt planned for you two, along with Alaia, Sion and Solaris. Since you two were patient enough to put up with this formality, here's a hint: read up on the Zhanda!'

The three companions all blinked curiously. Some of Cynder's lingering apprehension dissipated at the prospect of going on another day of hunting, along with spending time with all others of her generation, managing to smile a little at the thought.

'Zhanda?' Spyro repeated nervously. 'Volteer, what–'

'Ah ah, Spyro! I may have overstepped my bounds already! No more hints from me.' He and Terrador stood together to take off.

'Take care, young ones.'

The three were silent for a while as they waited for the Guardians to leave, before the marketplace began rousing from its silent slumber as the shopkeepers began to pack up for the day. Sparx stared up at the sky and sighed.

'Well, that could have gone better.'

The look in Shadros' scowl quickly flashed before Cynder's eyes, and she shivered as she lowered her head tiredly. Spyro immediately touched his wing to hers with concern.

'You alright?'

She exhaled heavily, raising her head to him. 'That look in his eyes... I could swear I've seen it before.'

Spyro nodded, as they both knew she hadn't completely forgotten her time under Malefor's influence. From their encounter with the cheetah hermit in the Valley of Avalar, they knew eyes of a killer could not be forgotten so easily – and Cynder saw the same hostility from that cheetah as she had just now.

He moved to nuzzle her cheek comfortingly. 'Come on – let's get out of here.' As Cynder raised her brow curiously, he gestured towards the Starlight Towers. 'Want to come with? I'm going to see what this "Zhanda" is all about. I'm guessing it's what we're hunting tomorrow...'

Cynder smiled gratefully as they both spread their wings. 'I'd like that.'

Sparx could only shrug in annoyance as they flew onward without him, spurring himself to catch up. _Those two... This is gonna take some getting used to..._

* * *

Kane rubbed his twitchy black nose at the strong smell wafting out of the falcon roost. Since their arrival, Hunter had shown him and Mole-Yair around the city after calming the Atlawa down from Sparx's misplaced insult. The Manweersmall had slowed them down too much for Kane's tastes, however, and the two amicably parted when Mole-Yair settled in the mole kennels and made himself at home. Freed of the burden, Kane and Hunter made good time and the cheetah managed to show him near every district and region of the city.

Though Hunter was curious as to why the grizzled Atlawa was more interested in examining the architecture and armaments rather than an actual place to stay during the summit. He didn't voice his concerns until now, given that this was the last place they had time to look before retiring for the evening.

Upon opening the door, Kane's rough and critical demeanour was replaced with awe and respect as he examined the proud birds nestling and chattering amongst themselves. Their attention was diverted when Kane kneeled before them as he would a deity.

'Oh wondrous spirits of the sky, I am unworthy to look upon your earthly forms...'

He continued to kneel in silence as the many pairs of beady eyes studied him for a moment, before several hopped down to examine this strange intruder. Kane continued to recite praises as if from an Atlawan mantra until Talon prodded his lowered paw sharply.

'Ach! Why you miserable little-'

Talon trilled playfully up at them at the sudden shift in tone as Kane quickly stood up, with Hunter grinning to himself.

'They don't appreciate forced flattery, Kane.'

Kane rubbed his paw in annoyance, glancing around the pen again with a critical eye rather than awe. 'I'm surprised they can tell. And you can talk to them? No offense, Hunter... but that's kind of hard to wrap my head around.'

Hunter simply shrugged as he passed around the room for a head count, taking care not to wake the Chirrups who thankfully didn't notice the intrusion. 'When you spend a lifetime with some creatures, you learn to pick up some things.' He blinked at Kane curiously. 'Why were you spouting that prayer for them before?'

'It's an old Atlawan thing.' Kane's brow furrowed with annoyance. 'All them old... grey_er_ shamans see the falcons as guardian spirits that bring us bountiful harvests. I've seen a few pass by during Spring, but I don't believe in that spiritual hogwash. I'd rather work for crops rather than praying for 'em. Besides, one real god is enough for me.'

Talon emitted a sharp cry, to which Kane raised a brow curiously.

'What did the bird say?'

'He says... those elders keep trying to pull feathers when he's trying to sleep.' The cheetah snorted with amusement. 'I assume they think it brings good luck?'

'Nah, they just use them for decoration sometimes.' Kane rolled his eyes dismissively. 'They spew all that nonsense but they don't actually consider the birds sacred.'

Talon chattered quietly, but harshly, as he hopped onto Hunter's arm; the cheetah's ear raised attentively. Kane grunted with frustration at being left out of the conversation.

'Well?'

'Talon says...' – Hunter grinned – 'tell the elders to leave their tail feathers alone or they'll pluck out their eyes.'

Kane blinked with surprise before grinning darkly. 'Oh, I like this bird!'

Hunter gazed at the Atlawa, an idea forming in his head.

'How long are you staying here, Kane?'

'For as long as this summit lasts. Then again, I'll probably go with Mole-Yair when this is over.'

'And the summit could last for weeks, depending on how long the dragons take to gather.'

Kane narrowed his eyes impatiently. 'And? Get to the point, Hunter.'

'Do you want to try and learn the falcon language?' Hunter gestured toward the falcons with a paw. 'They might be able to help the Atlawa a great deal; after all, they've done a lot for my kind.'

Kane pressed his jaw together as he considered the idea. 'Well, it does get admittedly boring up in the Tall plains, with only other Atlawa or omnicidal golems to keep us company.' He nodded and gave a small grin. 'Who knows, maybe I can have some fun with the elders next time!'

Hunter nodded and smiled back. 'It will take some time, though... and in a few weeks you may only learn the most basic of words and sentences.'

'Do you have any written translations I can take with me, then?'

Hunter nodded after a moment. 'I don't, but Shiall most likely would – if we have them here. She's here for the summit as well, and is still deciphering some scrolls from the catacombs below...'

'Well then, see if you can get some copies for me soon.' Kane examined the chirrups with amusement. 'Now there's two things for me to do while I'm here! Heh, maybe three, if I could go into those catacombs you mentioned.'

'Perhaps another...'

Kane grunted curiously as Hunter hesitated. 'What?'

'I've recently taken up learning about the sword.' Hunter pointed to his rapier's hilt extended from his shoulder. 'Would you be able to... help with that?'

Kane raised a brow incredulously, before chuckling to himself for a few moments.

'No.'

Hunter stared in surprise. 'What do you mean no? You have that staff, after all.'

'You _do_ realise that a staff is completely different from a blade?' Kane sighed. 'Even now, it's obvious how little you know.'

Hunter couldn't help but groan a little. 'Well, the only alternative until my chief arrives is a lowly Skavenger captain named Snotty. And... well, he gave me quite the beating this morning.'

'Really?' Kane snorted with amusement. 'And I thought cheetahs all just looked beat up in general.'

Hunter sighed. 'Well, do you have anything to offer? Or nothing at all?'

Kane folded his arms and tapped a foot. 'Well, I could see your next training session. I suppose there are _some_ basics shared across all weapon schools. But don't expect me to stay for the whole thing!' He shivered as he ruffled his thick fur. 'These giant city walls creep me out. Not to mention all the dragons. How do you cheetahs live in such a low place?'

'Compared to our rather exposed village, these stone walls are quite welcome.'

'Eh... I get tired of stone real quick...' He yawned widely before turning to head back out. 'Well, come find me tomorrow when you start your training again. I'll probably be up here somewhere; the air's a bit thinner up on this top level, so it kind of feels like home. Otherwise I'll probably be out hunting.'

As Kane started back out, Hunter called out. 'You don't want to hunt with any dragons?'

'What, so I can fly in their razor sharp claws? No thanks.'

Hunter snorted with amusement as he watched Kane climb the embedded wall's edge into the hillside, disappearing into a small shroud of forest at the peak. _He's going to sleep in the coldest part of the city? Well, to each his own..._

Talon relieved him of his surprising weight to perch on a wooden beam and tucked his head beneath his wing. Hunter undid his weapons and laid them against the wall as he covered himself with his cloak, his bruises still throbbing a little despite some magical ice treatment beforehand.

'I'm not looking forward to tomorrow...'

* * *

Spyro and Cynder stood before the base of the Starlight Towers the next morning, both tense with anxiety at the day ahead of them. After reading about the Zhanda, they couldn't help it; that kind of animal was probably some sort of ultimate hunting test for young dragons. Though they didn't know the nature of the hunt or whether it was even a test, they both saw the need to speak to the others as soon as they could.

Sparx tailed them as well, though they were not entirely sure if he was worried about the Zhanda, or whether he wanted to watch Solaris and Sion bicker some more. Either way, he didn't reveal his true intentions despite being asked quite a few times, and Spyro and Cynder let him continue on his own way as they took off to circle the tower. Considering the number of floors they skipped, Cynder was starting to see it as a shortcut, seeing as some moles were going through the front doors down below.

Unfortunately, they spotted Solaris waiting in the library as the glided through the window, tapping a claw at the base of the steps leading up to the lecture hall – signalling that they were late. She eyed them stiffly as they approached.

'Where have you two been? Volteer has been ready for nearly ten minutes.' She pressed her jaws together. 'Alaia and Sion are here already; she's already sitting down.'

Cynder managed a weak smile. 'Sorry; we had a late night. We had to prepare for the hunt today–'

'I don't care for excuses,' Solaris cut her off, making Cynder scowl with annoyance, and pointed her head toward the stairs. 'Hurry up.'

Spyro looked around. 'Wait, where's Sion? You didn't say where he was.'

Solaris stiffened at the name. 'You _had_ to mention him.' She sighed in defeat after a moment of reflection as she turned around again. 'This way.'

They followed curiously for a short distance before they came upon a sleeping figure with his head laid down on an open book like a pillow. Upon seeing this, Cynder chuckled, but Solaris hissed in disgust. Seeing the drool all over one of the pages, she hastily grabbed one of Sion's horns to lift his head and pull the book out. Sion only shifted a little as she dropped his head onto the stone floor heavily, the bronze drake pawing away at some unknown force.

'No, Mom... I don't wanna go to school...'

Solaris narrowed her eyes angrily, seeing that Sion's strangely corrosive saliva had ruined several pages. 'Great. Does someone else want to wake him? If I do, I fear it would lead to... permanent damage.'

Cynder stepped forward quickly and, taking care to avoid the books, let loose a narrow jet of wind over Sion's head, causing him to instinctively shiver and open his beady blue eyes.

'Huh? What? Did I sleep in?'

Cynder grinned knowingly. 'In a manner of speaking...'

Sion's expression brightened instantly as he spotted his visitors, despite Solaris' presence. 'Oh! Hi Cynder! Spyro! I nearly forgot that we have our first class together today...'

'You _did_ forget,' Solaris stated impatiently, but Sion continued unabated.

'... Ooh, I can't wait to go hunting with you! Alaia told me how these things usually work, so I was really happy to hear that we weren't gonna be stuck in this tower all day! These books just make me wanna close my eyes; they're so boring.'

'Absorbing some rare and useful information,' Solaris said dryly. 'How horrid.'

Sion nodded at her obliviously. 'I know, right? It's all full of stuff that I'll never remember, and some history of fire and ice dragons doesn't matter to me since I'm not one of them, and why can't I...'

The three of them stared as he prattled on for a full minute, Solaris dragging a palm down her face, before raising the same claw, making a mocking talking motion. Spyro and Cynder couldn't help but grin at her.

'... and I had to be stuck in here early, just because I wanted to see the Ice dragons yesterday, and now I have to catch up even more-'

'Are you done?'

Sion blinked at Solaris' interruption. 'Um... I guess?'

'Good.' She turned and strode away without a word, taking note of the nearby sundial on a sunlit balcony.

'H-hey! Where're you going?'Sion's smile faded.

'To class, moron. Now we're fifteen minutes late because of you and your inane prattling.' She glared back at him. 'Now shut up and move.'

Sion's eyes fell as he reluctantly moved to follow them up the stairs, drawing a few curious glances from Areth and some others browsing the shelves.

Volteer was already talking to himself, despite Alaia sitting by herself at her stone desk. He seemed to be going on about nothing in particular, given the miserable look the wind dragoness had adorning her visage. It lit up as she spotted them, especially Sion.

'Everyone's finally here!' She pointed her head to the mumbling Volteer, still poring over a small pile of scrolls and books as he sat within the lower platform. Most of them went to their usual spots, though this time Solaris put herself closer to Spyro and Cynder two seats away, while Sion planted himself right between Alaia and Spyro. 'Volteer! We're ready.'

'... But what if she takes offense... Quite a bold theory, and yet it still holds... Oh?'

He quickly smiled as he beheld the filled seats before him. 'Ah! Excellent! Let's continue our lessons, shall we? Where we left off... I believe it was Levyr, which means we can finish the circle of primal elements! But before that...' He turned his head up to Sion, who shifted nervously. 'Young Sion, I presume you have at least caught up in regards to Zhuroth and Levyr?'

'Uh... as well as I could, sir.'

Volteer's brow lowered a little with brief disappointment before he continued. 'Oh... well, it will have to do. I hope to at least cover Thytanis and Kunato before Nadina whisks you all away once again. Now, let's begin...'

'Thytanis, well... he, she, or it... is a peculiar case, as this precursor for Earth and Wind dragons has two forms. The first is when it is dormant: a hidden, but enormous elemental that rests as a rock formation. The second...'

Sion glanced around awkwardly as everyone else had already begun writing, reluctantly grabbing one of his leatherbark sheets and began carving a few words.

'...is a spirit form that is very difficult for anyone to detect without an affinity for magic. It is said that Thytanis is impossible to find, even for the most powerful of Earth and Wind dragons. For it hides among the largest forests in the world... and some have even postulated it existing in all types of environments, its power split into scattered fragments.'

'So how do you know it... even exists?' Cynder asked.

Volteer shrugged lightly. 'Well, we don't. This is the most accurate information we have thus far... from a few ancient scrolls from among the oldest Earth and Wind dragons to have ever lived. Even coming from their claws, it's all secondary sources... Oh, how I yearn to witness the primal gods' glory in all its splendour for myself–'

'Volteer!'

Sion blinked in surprise as Volteer responded immediately to Solaris' hiss. When Volteer snapped his head back up to continue, the young drake raised his claw.

'Sir? How come she's allowed to interrupt the teacher?'

Volteer raised a curious brow at the gesture. 'I never established a rule preventing it. Though, honestly, this helps the progress of the class, so I let it pass unabated in Solaris' case. Obviously, interruptions which hamper progress of learning are discouraged, though we thankfully have not run into that particular problem.'

Sion lowered his limb slowly, uncomfortable from the implications of that last statement.

'So how exactly did the Earth and Wind duality happen?' Alaia piped up curiously. 'I've heard a few stories from Mom already, but I'd like to know what most other dragons think.'

Volteer chuckled. 'My dear, it would be all too flattering to consider me as "most other dragons"... or even representative their collective opinion. Perhaps it would be more suitable for you to tell us what your mother thinks first?'

Alaia pulled her head back nervously. 'Um... alright. Hm... where do I begin...' She lowered her head a little. 'Sorry.'

'It's OK!' Sion spouted with encouragement. 'Take your time.'

Solaris frowned impatiently from behind. 'By all means... It's not like we have other plans for today...'

'We don't?' Sion said obliviously.

Cynder gave Solaris a brief, annoyed glare as she sighed heavily, before Alaia smiled under Sion's gaze and continued with more confidence.

'My mom once told me that she got separated from the rest of her wind dragon pod, once, when they were fleeing one of the Ape attacks on one of their hideouts. One of their ballista bolts had pierced her wing, and she was separated when the pod got tangled in another Ape ambush later. They were in a forest, though, and... well, she claims that something woke up when the Apes started destroying large areas of trees and other plants. She never saw it, exactly... but she could... feel its presence, if that makes sense?'

Volteer nodded in understanding, vibrating a little as if subduing his surging curiosity. 'Well, a-any dragon should be able to feel the presence of a p-primal god's powerful magic. Please, continue, my dear!'

'As she was running through the forest, a lot of large animals began to converge on the area, taking the Ape squad by surprise. She saw all kinds of things: dreadwings, buffalo beetles, and even giant lizards... though not as big as dragons.' She smiled, emanating reverence. 'She was so amazed by it she turned around and helped the animals kill them all. Though she didn't like the part when they started eating them alive... not to mention each other...'

Spyro frowned with a sharp coldness. 'Serves those Apes right. I imagine Thytanis was angry that the forest was being so recklessly destroyed.'

Alaia nodded reluctantly. 'I suppose he was...'

Solaris twitched her muzzle thoughtfully. 'I wonder why Thytanis itself didn't appear to finish them off personally. Seems rather... cowardly to use animals for the job.'

'That's part of Thytanis'... identity,' Volteer said. 'It doesn't have a concentrated form to use for sheer power, rather a will it exerts over the land. Regardless, it got the job done.' He touched a claw to his muzzle. 'From your story, Alaia, I cannot actually guess which form Thytanis took in that event. It could have been laying dormant–'

'Hey Alaia!' Sion called rather loudly, the sudden volume making several of them wince a little. 'What are dreadwings? Or buffalo beetles? Do they charge at red stuff? Oh and what did those giant lizards look like? They might be–'

Solaris narrowed her and hissed loudly to cut him off. 'Don't interrupt Volteer like that, fool.'

'What?' Sion called back. 'How come you get to do it and I don't?'

'Because I know when to do it; unlike you, who has to yell everything.'

'Hey!' His response made Spyro and Volteer flinch again. 'I don't yell–'

'Ahem!' Volteer cleared his throat somewhat uncomfortably. 'Are you two quite finished?'

Solaris and Sion glared at each other for a moment before turning back to Volteer.

'I was about to say what dictates the two forms...' Volteer's eyes wavered over the bronze drake guardedly. 'Sion, please refrain from interrupting in such a manner again. And for Kunato's sake, keep your voice down! There is a library below, after all.'

Solaris smirked as he bowed his head apologetically. 'Sorry, sir.'

Volteer continued on to discuss major theories about how Earth and Wind dragons originated. Unlike Zhuroth and Levyr, their transformation seemingly took a much longer time over at least twenty generations; which, as Volteer described, would have been at least a thousand years. There also was no real tale to the transformation, either; the proto-dragons, or the first dragons, formed large but separate tribal groups when they colonised fertile lands such as forests and plains. Often, they fought rival tribes for territory which kept their population from exceeding the resources of the environment around them. The males tended to participate in these battles often, as some tribes would kill or drive away all males of a tribe but take the females into their own. The females, rather than focusing on rival tribes, trained themselves to form small packs to hunt properly and survive the winter months. Both males and females could take leadership roles, however, and often dictated how it operated. The most successful tribes were those that allowed a mated pair to lead their tribe with equal power.

As time passed, tribes grew less hostile and were more welcoming to other dragons as their understanding of the land grew. It was also at this point when they took it upon themselves to defend the land from destructive forces, such as the Apes and wyverns. When they began to operate in complete harmony with the land, wind and earth powers slowly manifested themselves in them; it wasn't known whether they naturally absorbed Thytanis' energy over time, or whether it was rewarding them for their connection to the land. What still sparked some controversy was why Thytanis gave different powers to males and females.

Throughout all this, Sion could not keep still for more than a few minutes. Volteer's eyes constantly flicked in his direction as his gaze turned to the windows, sometimes to dragon guards flying by, to dust on his white claws which he awkwardly scratched off, to some passing unflattering glances towards Alaia and Cynder, and finally to Sparx waving antagonisingly through the window as the dragonfly chased insects. Solaris's gaze was fixed on the bronze drake as much as it was on Volteer, though the bronze drake didn't seem to notice her piercing gaze as he began folding and unfolding the edge of his leatherbark sheet, not bothering to write notes.

'Ahem...This controversy, of course, exists because Earth and Wind dragons were sometimes looked upon... differently, as compared to the other three primal dragon types,' Volteer continued. 'Perhaps because it took them the longest to join the others in our unified Guardian dragon culture. But! I _have_ argued that the range of applications they bring was worth it. Wind dragons have saved many lives with their anti-projectile capabilities, as well as moving an ally out of the way of a fatal blow, many, many times. They've also been invaluable for travelling longer distances to evacuate our mole and cheetah allies on occasion, as well as for intercepting enemy patrols. Meanwhile, Earth dragons are among the most physically capable and durable dragons among us all, even compared to the rare Burst dragons... them being our best counter to any heavy weaponry our enemies may possess, seeing as their powers can both block and demolish them to a highly effective degree.' He tried to pry his focus away from the still-distracted Sion. 'I've also proposed renaming the "Earth" element to the "Nature" element, given how unfairly male-focused name of the former... Cyril was rather dismissive, of course, but Terrador liked–'

'Volteer!'

The Electric Guardian snapped his head back into focus. 'My apologies, Solaris. Now to–'

'_Volteer_!'

He blinked in genuine confusion at her second curt interruption. 'What...? Am I missing something, my dear?'

Solaris immediately pointed a fanged wing toward Sion without turning her head. 'This fool. Get him out of here.'

Sion raised his head from his parchment. 'Huh? What?'

'Ugh, see what I mean? He hasn't paid attention for the past half-hour. This is ridiculous.'

Spyro, Cynder and Alaia looked on curiously, wondering in their heads how teachers dealt with problematic students.

Volteer frowned a little, clearly not in his element. 'You... may have a point, my dear.' He examined Sion with scrutiny. 'Sion, can you tell me what wind dragons excel at?'

'Excel at?'

Cynder leaned over. 'What they're good at, Sion.'

'Oh!' Sion fumbled his claws over his mostly-blank parchment as thoughts raced through his head, and managed to speak after examining Alaia and Cynder again. 'Um... they're really good at flying?'

Volteer nodded slowly. 'Anything else?'

'Pushing things away?'

He was answered with a surprised blink. 'A... simplistic explanation, but good enough, I suppose.'

Solaris frowned in annoyance as Volteer peered over his last couple of scrolls, seemingly dropping the subject entirely.

'The final topic for the... ahem, "Nature" element and their deity, concerns their...' He glanced around at the class hesitantly, '...mating rituals. Which coincidentally happens to apply to all Guardian dragons – given our now unified culture.' Sion grinned with sudden fixation, whilst Alaia groaned very quietly. 'While the old tribal practices for any dragons have virtually vanished, some still persist today. For example, the leader of any Nature tribe taking a mate is considered a sacred pact that binds the entire tribe more closely together, taking inspiration from some of the mannerisms from the animals surrounding them. Ah... before I continue...' – he eyed Alaia with concern – 'does this particularly subject bother you, my dear?'

Alaia nodded vehemently. 'I barely see or hear the end of it. If you'd met my parents, you'd know.'

Cynder and Spyro glanced at each other, knowing what she meant, but not enough to satiate their own curiosity.

'Wait, wait, wait...' Sion interrupted, making a lot of effort to lower his voice. 'You're telling us that Earth and Wind dragons... worship... sex?'

Alaia covered her face with embarrassment as Volteer gazed at him in shock, appalled by his somewhat lecherous expression. 'My boy! Such a statement discredits the old tradition immensely! It is such a prevalent part of all Guardian dragon culture now... The act of sanctifying... mating.' He paused at the usage of his own words and Sion's. 'Though... I have to admit your analysis is more or less correct.'

'Yay!' Sion beamed with juvenile enthusiasm. 'I got a question right! I wish I was an Earth dragon... Sure sounds like fun.'

Cynder and Alaia couldn't help but flush a tiny bit while Spyro and Solaris averted their gazes from him.

The blue dragoness, however, was the first to speak in the ensuing silence. 'Can you just finish describing the process already? I'd rather get this over with and recorded... And you. Half-breed.' Sion turned his head slowly toward her. 'Keep your corrosive tongue in your mouth.'

Sion narrowed his eyes hotly, as if to say "don't call me that," before he focused back on Volteer with intense curiosity. Volteer piped down his own pep with uncharacteristic reverence – and an edge of longing – as he continued.

'Well, the tradition, while originating with the Earth and Wind dragons... more or less tests the magical bond between drake and dragoness. For them, they spend time alone, flying together for many hours. Nature dragons... ah, naturally prefer lush, fertile areas where flourishing life is most prevalent – where their bond strengthens further during the ritual. However, they can go wherever they wish. It is during this flight that they... well, sing, to each other.'

Volteer instinctively raised a claw when Solaris opened her jaw in disbelief. 'My dear, before you remark on the act, they don't sing physically. They say what they will, what and how they feel, all without moving their jaw. In this way, they will understand whether they can be mates or not. Only those that hear each other's voice in this manner, and join their voices together in one sequence, no matter how clumsily; will know they chose one meant for them.'

Spyro turned around to examine Solaris curiously, who was blinking rather passively. 'Do your people do something different, Solaris?'

'In fact... yes, they do. It does make me wonder, though...'

Sion gazed around at her, too, eyeing her flatly. 'What, are you guys not allowed to love each other or something?'

The blue dragoness flinched as if he struck a nerve, causing Spyro and Cynder exchange sympathetic glances.

'Don't speak in such a way... of what you don't understand.'

She spoke with a tense quietness that brought a heavy silence on the hall. Eventually Volteer broke the silence.

'Would you be... willing to share, Solaris?'

She glanced away defensively. 'Not particularly. I will say this, though; we magma dragonesses don't get to choose our mates.'

Everyone else stared at her incredulously; even Sion looked sad for her.

'That's... that's terrible!' Alaia remarked sympathetically. 'My parents go too far, but to not even have the choice in the first place...'

Solaris frowned with annoyance at the sudden sympathy she was getting. 'I never said it was a good practice. Nor did I ask for pity.'

Alaia averted her gaze. 'I'm... I'm sorry.'

'I didn't ask for an apology either.'

They all fell silent at Solaris' voice rising steadily at the attention. Volteer once again broke the silence.

'Would you at least explain why, though, Solaris? It would help to know why your people arrived at this conclusion.'

'For Magma dragons, survival of the fittest goes. Therefore, only the strongest males can mate with a desired female.' She scowled, as if recalling an event. 'This may lead to young males clamouring like hormone-crazed idiots over a particularly comely female – but like you said before, it gets the job done.'

When Solaris fell silent, Volteer nodded reluctantly and didn't go into the subject any further.

* * *

The class was dismissed for one half-hour break before they moved on to the next subject. Upon descending the stone steps and getting out of earshot from Volteer, Solaris immediately turned on Sion as he stepped off the bottom step.

'You!'

Sion grinned sheepishly, slowly, yet tantalisingly pointing a claw at his face. 'Me?'

'Yes, you!' Solaris' front legs trembled to the point where she held her head in both, lying against the floor for a moment. 'Do you... _enjoy_ wasting everyone's time, or is it just me!?'

'Eh, I think it's just you.' Sion dismissed her protest with a shrug of the shoulders. Solaris' eye twitched at the implication – that he in particular enjoyed wasting _her _time.

Spyro was the next to speak, stepping forward. 'She's right, you know. Do you really want to be in this class, Sion?' Spyro raised his brow as Sion's careless demeanour vanished under his gaze. 'It's not worth all your time here if you don't.'

'Of course I do!'

Solaris grunted. 'Liar.'

Sion shook his head earnestly. 'I really do want to be with you guys, but... it's just... hard...'

'How is sitting still hard?'

Sion glanced at Solaris incredulously. 'How is it not? We have teeth, claws, wings... We can go anywhere! Fly anywhere! Being stuck in a hall like that is just so weird.'

Solaris shook her head. 'Like you're an authority on what is weird.'

Cynder stomped her foot down and unfurled a wing between Sion and Solaris before they could start arguing again. 'Enough, you two!' She glanced at Spyro, who nodded back at her. 'We have something to show you all, and we need to use the break time for it. It... might save your life.'

The three young dragons raised curious brows at the pair – Alaia with a little fear – with Spyro gesturing for them to follow as he and Cynder took the lead into the library.

They came to a compartment enclosed between shelves, just big enough for all five of them to sit in a circle. Sion planted himself between Spyro and Alaia, still smiling brightly at her, making her wings and tail vibrate awkwardly.

Cynder gathered a bundle of scrolls from the corner of the compartment, tied together with a loose leatherbark basket, its handle grasped in her mouth, dumping it carefully on the floor in the middle of the group. She and Spyro began laying out the text in neat formation, with the last scroll being larger and unfurling to reveal a large illustration of a strange, lizard-like creature, from a bird's-eye view.

'Hey!' Sion piped with fascination. 'Alaia, is that the giant lizard you were talking about?'

Alaia nodded in amazement. 'Yes... I think so. I had no idea the library had this picture in here.'

'Neither did I,' Solaris said. 'It seems I haven't combed this area well enough.'

Spyro cleared his throat to begin. 'Cynder and I read about this animal last night and they're called Zhanda.' As the others studied the pages, he eyed Cynder warily. '... And from what Volteer told us yesterday, we're guessing that we'll be hunting one. Today.'

Alaia's eyes widened a little. 'Something that big? Are you sure?'

'Well, how big was it?' Sion asked.

'Um... well, Mom didn't exactly say how old she was when she saw one...'

Cynder spoke as she continued. 'We know that the largest ones aren't too much bigger than we are. Even then, those ones are quite rare.' She pointed a single claw to a page of text. 'Here, it describes these larger ones, which have two extra sails on their back, as alpha males... Alozhanda.'

Sion licked his lips as he studied the picture further. 'I wonder if I can bag one myself. All that sweet meat...'

Solaris frowned to herself as she did the same. 'Is it just me, or does its body shape seem familiar?'

Spyro nodded as he pointed to another scroll. 'The fire dragons who studied it noticed that, too – likening it to Zhuroth. That's how they named it, describing them as the "animal avatars" of the Fire Salamander.' He grinned. 'Which is kind of funny, considering they live only in large bodies of water.'

Solaris scoffed. 'Avatars of Zhuroth? They don't seem so impressive to me.'

The diagram was hand drawn, presumably by moles, to a lot of detail. While the angle didn't give them how its underside looked, the primarily red and blue scales on its back looked rather jagged and thick, with what looked like a fin of some sort jutting out its abdomen. It had large, thick limbs with equally large claws on every foot, with white, thick webbing between each digit. It had a long, muscular tail which looked very useful was swimming at high speed. But something spurring some churning in their stomachs was its huge head. It was shaped like a wide wedge, which undoubtedly had a large jaw as well. It had folded skin flaps over its neck and cheeks – which resembled fins, gills or both. Similar skin flaps coated its thick shoulders as well. Solaris examined another page, which explained that the skin flaps could be expanded to give a visual display to scare away animals or rival suitors.

Cynder gave her a warning glance. 'I wouldn't underestimate them. When they ambush prey, they can move very fast... though they can't chase over land for very long.'

Alaia couldn't help but stare at the eyes. Even though the angle didn't show much, just from their width across the head, they looked huge. She inwardly shuddered at the thought of staring face to face with the thing.

'You OK?' Sion asked her gently.

'... Just imagining looking at its face.'

Sion gazed at her for a few moments. 'If worst comes to worst – we could stay together! I can protect you.'

Spyro and Cynder grinned slightly while Solaris stared at them with disapproval. 'Really? You've only just met today. So much for sacred rituals.'

Alaia caught herself staring back at him and glancing away. 'What? Uh... yeah, that's right. But...' – she smiled at him thankfully – 'thanks, Sion. Let's... let's just focus on the Zhanda.'

Sion just gazed away with mild disappointment, but otherwise listened as Spyro and Cynder continued, discussing as many biological patterns and behaviours as possible before their break was over.

* * *

They found Volteer sunbathing with contentment, who jumped up quickly as they filed in. For some strange reason, Spyro noticed him being a little twitchy and giving them a shifty gaze instead of the enthusiastic smile he was expecting, especially since they were about to learn about the Electric deity. Spyro studied him for a moment as the others filed toward their seats... and sensed a buried shame, deep within the Electric Guardian. _Why would he be ashamed? This might be... interesting._

Cynder glanced at him curiously as she passed him. 'Hey! Neratha to Spyro!' Spyro blinked and smiled, following behind her.

Though predictably, Sion was not so thrilled either, albeit for an altogether different reason. The fact that their hunt, especially for Zhanda, was drawing ever closer just heightened his urge to get moving – his thick muscles highly strung and wound up with an apparent mind of their own.

Volteer picked up on this, however, making his own odd demeanour diminish somewhat. 'Sion, there's no need to be so impatient. After all, this is the second-last scheduled lesson for you all.'

Spyro and Solaris stiffened and glanced at each other incredulously.

'What!?'

Volteer chuckled at their joint reaction. 'No need to overreact, young ones! I did say "scheduled" –meaning you can request more lessons together if you wish. It will just take some extra organisation from you.' He shook his head as he strode over to a new pile of scrolls. 'But let's savour the thought another time. It is time to complete the primal circle... Time to be seated, if you please.'

Spyro and Cynder were the last to return to their positions as Volteer pursed his muzzle hesitantly.

'For Kunato, and us Electric dragons... our history is a rather sad tale. And compared to the other deities, ours is not so benevolent.'

Spyro furrowed his brow thoughtfully. 'Frankly, I'm surprised the majority are.'

Volteer swayed his head around, his eyes darting over the depictions on the stone wall behind him. 'Perhaps... but, it is rather early to be making that assumption, Spyro. These four are not the only ones... as we'll be learning tomorrow. Hopefully. Provided there isn't another interruption...'

Several eyes darted toward the oblivious Sion, not truly grasping his meaning.

'Now, to start at the beginning... once again, with the proto-dragons. Back then, the Electric dragons were the first to discover the Spirit Gems, and were also... the first to absorb their energy. Back in our primitive forms, the energy didn't manifest as fluidly as it would now, but it filled a hunger that we never knew we had. We were able to do nearly everything better: such as flying faster, extended stamina reserves, and less reliance on food for nourishment... it was like a miracle substance that we could not get enough of.'

Cynder's eyes fell, predicting where this was going.

'... It didn't last, naturally. Take too much of a good thing – too much of anything – and it backfires. For us, this came down upon us in the form of Kunato's wrath.'

Alaia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. 'Kunato was angry because you used the Spirit gems? But we use them quite often here in Warfang, as well as any we find when we travel. Wouldn't doing that make Kunato angry too?'

Volteer shook his head sadly. 'It wasn't – specifically – the use of the Spirit Gems. It was how far we went – draining them to the last trickles of energy. We were addicted to their magic, and after only a few generations, the consequences for the area are still felt today.'

Volteer paused as everyone except Sion gazed up at him intently.

'The area was coated full of massive gems that served as natural walls, forming a sort of maze that made it ideal for us to roost in some of the hills and raised platforms. There were all sorts of fascinating animals and plants among the crystal forest, which also provided abundant resources in the mundane and magical. The walls pulsated with energy and magic. All manner of transparent plants rose out of the ground, some flowers big enough to house the insects of the region. Crystal lizards, brilliant colours of giant torchbugs, beautiful lights over the night sky... Some scholars even mentioned sighting multi-coloured phoenixes.' He sighed. 'It was... rather poignant – to go over some of the scrolls on the description of this ecosystem. Worse still, whenever I found drawings of incredible and beautiful animals and plants, I was reminded of that was lost because of our mistakes. If only we had not been so greedy...'

'What happened, Volteer?' Spyro asked, slight dread creeping into his stomach.

'You went there yourself, Spyro – if you can recall. And you too, Cynder.' He eyed them solemnly. 'Concurrent skies... That is the result of our handiwork.'

Spyro and Cynder stared at each other for a few moments, while the others glanced at them curiously.

'Crystal maze...' Spyro repeated. He shivered, recalling the constantly dark, stormy environment, with no forms of life except for giant leeches, golems and the murderous Apes roaming it.

Volteer nodded, as much to himself as to them. 'We turned the area into the equivalent of a magical desert. With most of the Spirit Gems sapped of their magic, the ecosystem quickly deteriorated. We realized our mistake too late, and nothing we did could reverse the spiralling failure as the forest slowly died around us.'

Volteer shivered, his frills bristling as if warding a chill away. 'Why Kunato went there... is still unknown. However, it is highly likely that the crystal forest was a sacred glade under his protection. And to such a large and ancient creature, a few generations of absence would not be too implausible to explore the rest of the world. All accounts are unanimous in his description: a hundred-foot long serpent, flying through the sky without wings, sparks of lighting bursting from his body every few moments. When he appeared, we were in awe, but not for long.'

'He wrapped himself around the largest crystal spire, which was the only crystal left with any magic left within it. He surveyed what we had wrought, and hissed deafeningly, declaring our crimes and our punishment. Clouds formed over us, raining lightning down. He focused on us, specifically – avoiding any damage to remaining pockets of forest still intact.'

'Most of us died in that lightning storm. Those that survived fled as fast as we could, and Kunato remained wrapped around the spire – watching us as we left. We never even tried to go back.'

He glanced away from the class despite some of their amazed expressions. 'It wasn't long before we realized we could expel that lightning at will... though we could never use it the same way Kunato did. And we avoided using it for a time... it reminded us too much of what we did: our mistakes, and what we lost in order to obtain our power.' Volteer glanced out the windows for a moment. 'Those clouds never left. It is said the constant storms are a testament to Kunato's anger, and his long, long memory.'

Everyone stared at the sombre Electric Guardian in a new light. Cynder tilted her head thoughtfully. _Is that why they try to be as positive about life as possible? To talk as much as possible? To... distract themselves... or forget the origin of their inherent power? _

There was a period of silence as Volteer finally sighed heavily. Spyro managed to speak.

'Volteer? I know it might not mean much... but there was still magic there. The leeches, golems and gems I did find there – the magic still exists.'

Volteer nodded. 'I remember; you told me after you rescued Cynder. Part of me wishes we could undo what we did... but those kinds of animals and plants have never been recorded anywhere else. We undoubtedly drove many of them to extinction. I do not know if it can come back from that; those things you describe are all that's left.'

Spyro bowed his head sadly, unable to respond.

'There is a bright side to this, however.' Volteer voice regained some of its former energy. 'We were far more careful in how we used magic from then on. When we encountered the other dragons, we were quick to educate them properly before any of them repeated our mistakes. From our failure and loss, we still learned, and allowed other dragons to learn too, bettering all of us for it.'

The class gradually returned to writing, even Sion, and Volteer managed to smile, despite himself.

_And now... let's see how much they've truly learned._

* * *

The five young dragons were directed to meet Nadina on the large landing platform upon which the Ice pod had arrived earlier. Volteer stressed quite clearly to make sure they were ready and rested; Nadina could wait for an hour. Given how long the hunt may take, Volteer changed the next lesson from two-Solus to seven-Solus, giving them plenty of time to sleep in if their hunt went well into the night. From the sound of things, they wouldn't be returning until after dark.

Spyro encouraged Cynder to read up on the Zhanda one last time, while Sion offered to fly Alaia home. Solaris was reading up as well, so she soon joined them.

Cynder quickly got the sense that Spyro was doing this mostly for her benefit, given the worried glances she caught from him when he thought she was focused elsewhere. Her chest fluttered warmly at the gesture, no matter how small. It was also quite funny, considering she considered her skills slightly above his when it came to hunting. Solaris, predictably, displayed no such concern for either of them; choosing to sit and periodically suggest any possible advantages they could get for the upcoming hunt. Sparx enquired as to their destination, but backed off quickly as they described the Zhanda in a little too much detail.

After continuing for half an hour, the three of them had sufficiently exhausted all avenues of knowledge that would help them, to the point where Cynder's body tensed with frustration and was ready to get moving in earnest. They all made their way down towards the marketplace to stop for a drink, before flying back up towards the central platform, where Sion, Alaia and Nadina were already waiting.

Nadina smiled warmly, directing her gaze toward Spyro and Cynder especially. 'Sion was just telling me how much you two helped everyone.'

Alaia grinned uncomfortably. 'Maybe a little too much about Spyro, though.'

Spyro rolled his eyes a little. 'It was as much Cynder's effort as mine.'

'I... I know, Sion shook his head apologetically. 'I just... um... thanks, Spyro.'

Spyro snorted and smiled as they all stood alongside each other, awaiting Nadina's lead. She examined them one by one; a mixture of pride and sadness glistening in her orange eyes.

_Such a diverse and passionate generation... but so small... How fragile our lives are..._

'Nadina?' Cynder said with concern. 'Are... you alright?'

'Hm?' She responded softly as she caught herself. 'Oh, never mind me... just the foolish thoughts of a naive dragoness...' She shook herself. 'Today, however, is about you, your skills, what you can do, and most importantly: what your hearts are made of.'

Spyro and Cynder blinked, intrigued, while Alaia and Sion shifted nervously. Solaris simply raised a scaled brow.

'Our hearts? They're made of flesh and blood.'

Sion couldn't help but chuckle despite himself. 'And you call _me _an idiot.'

Solaris shook her head dismissively. 'I don't see the point of this.'

'How could you, though?' It was Spyro's turn to raise a brow at her. 'She hasn't told us yet.'

'Well, tell us already!'

Nadina shook her head slowly. 'This is a significant test that I present to you... it is one that we give our adolescents when we believe they can begin asking themselves the important questions. Of course, you don't have to undertake it if you don't feel ready. Not all of you are the same age, after all, and it may be more difficult for some of you than others.'

Spyro and Cynder couldn't help but glance at Sion with concern; he probably could handle himself physically, but no magic could be a serious handicap. The bronze drake and Nadina picked up on their glances quickly.

'Sion? You haven't been in Warfang long, so you are the one I'm the least sure about. Do you wish to undertake this test? And why?'

Sion blinked thoughtfully, the first thought concerning his mother. She approved of everything he was doing with his generation, but if this could be dangerous, he needed to tell her first. However...

'Yes! Yes, I want this.'

Nadina smiled warmly before she could otherwise react.

'I want this because... because I want to know about myself. My life has been doing pretty much nothing, only following Mom because I didn't have anywhere else to go. I want to be useful, and I want to know what I can do. I can't use magic, but...'

Solaris rolled her eyes dismissively, but he ignored her.

'...I believe I can do something. This test might tell me what that thing is.'

Nadina nodded with emanating approval. 'One of the best answers I've heard, young drake. You might do well – who knows what the future holds for you.'

'I should tell her what I'm doing first, though...'

Nadina inclined her head. 'Of course – we'll stop at Telsa's house on the way.'

Sion smiled with a juvenile glee that only he could pull off, attempting to sit still while Nadina turned to the others in turn.

Alaia blinked shyly under the regal dragoness' gaze, but spoke quickly at her encouragement.

'I don't really think much of myself, but Dad often tells me I should take chances when good opportunities present themself. If I can learn something useful for this... why not?'

Solaris gazed with contrasting disinterest when her turn came.

'I do not truly understand why you pose hunting Zhanda as some sort of... journey into the soul or some other nonsense. But, I won't understand any better by sitting it out. Besides...' – she licked her lips – 'I may get a good meal out of this so-called test.'

Nadina frowned in surprise, not liking how dismissive this blue dragoness was being of an old tradition of her people. _Well, it _is_ her choice..._

Cynder had been glancing at Spyro out of the corner of her eye as she thought about her own answer. She believed she was capable; there was little doubt in her mind of that. But what she knew was more important was that her heart was not a lost cause, that she wasn't just Cynder, the Terror of the Skies... and that Spyro had been right about her, to have done so much for her. She wanted to prove to herself that the past didn't need to control her future, and to vindicate Spyro's belief in her.

Though the response coming out was not so elegant or passionate as it sounded in her head.

'Uh... well, um... because I...' She couldn't help but flush when Spyro flashed an amused grin in her direction. '... Let's just say I know why I want to do this. It's kind of personal.'

Spyro, strangely, was the most unsure and nervous of them all. He shifted uneasily when his turn came, self-doubt gnawing at him. He rationalised away this feeling, doubting that a hunt involving Zhanda would truly make or break him as a dragon.

'If this really will help make sense of who I am... then I'll do it. I just want to know... that I won't turn out like Malefor. That my heart is different from his, and that's what separates me from him.'

His short answer elicited a curious but understanding gaze from everyone.

'So be it, then.' Nadina glanced around at them with a sense of finality. 'We'll see Telsa, and then... We'll proceed to the Viridian forest. Thanks to Spyro and Cynder, I won't need to tell you much more about the Zhanda than what you already know.'

* * *

Spyro's nervousness never abated, even while flying alongside the others against the familiar scenery. He couldn't help but feel like this was something Malefor may have done, may have failed... If he failed too, would he turn out the same? Deep down, he did feel that nature couldn't maintain balance with him around.

It didn't help that other magical presences seemed to be following them. He couldn't tell where they were, or what. As they flew over the forest, he guessed either the Zhanda or some other magical creature was reacting to their presence, like they knew about this particular test, and what was coming for them.

The forest stretched endlessly around them like an enormous, lumpy green blanket as Nadina lowered their pitch to just short of the tallest trees. Despite Spyro's disquiet, Nadina emanated a gentle calm within the forest's presence that relaxed him, if only a little bit. The slow and gentle rustling of leaves imbued fluid warmth in him that he hadn't felt before. Though it wasn't long after noon, the sounds of many animals could be heard in the distance, most of which fell silent as their heavy wings signalled their arrival. They spotted many crystal formations along the way, but they otherwise ignored them.

Nadina slowed down, flapping her wings forward as they approached a circular clearing, a blue spirit gem in the middle, surrounded by thick bushes and trees masking its presence. Spyro could feel the energy of others nearby as well, and began to doubt the difficulty of the test if magic was allowed.

'We're here. Now...'

Nadina glanced in five directions, seemingly plotting some routes in her head. After a few moments, she nodded to herself, and faced the five young dragons before her.

'The nature of the test is this: the Zhanda are our targets. They are the apex predators of this forest, and so, for the sake of balance, sometimes we direct our attention to them instead of the other herbivores they may prey upon. Since they are possibly the most dangerous form of prey we can find here, this may be the last time I take you out as a group like this.'

Cynder couldn't help but look disappointed, but as Volteer said before, that didn't mean it was over for them.

'The five of you will spread out from here, stopping only when you spot a blue Spirit gem. From there, you will hunt Zhanda. There is no time limit. The amount you hunt is up to you. I will remain here for as long as is required for you to return and whatever spoils you may bring. One restriction is to not use magic unless your life is in danger – however, you can use any crystals you find. There may come a time when you can only rely on your own skills, exhausted and without magic, especially considering the existence of the Elraiths, and what one did to me.' At her strangely vague explanation, and look of fear adorning Alaia, she bowed her head determinedly. 'Also, if you encounter someone part of this group, you cannot stay together and lend each other assistance. This may sound dangerous, and it's possible some of you may get hurt. But I promise none of you will die or receive permanent injuries. Please, you only need to trust me.'

This was easier for the others than it was for Sion and Alaia, but Sion stood firm with determination, imbibing some of that in Alaia, who nodded readily. 'OK. I trust you. You led us wind dragons to safety, after all.' She sighed heavily. 'And I might have heard about this kind of test before, though it's not exactly what I pictured.'

Solaris nodded in reluctant agreement. 'Especially considering how you haven't told us what warrants a pass or fail. Not that I particularly care...'

Nadina managed a small smile. 'I'm sorry, but the test would be pointless if you knew the conditions. In fact, there may not be any passes or fails; it all depends on interpretation.'

Spyro narrowed his eyes as he thought about how much Nadina was holding back. 'So there's nothing more you can tell us? Does Warfang have some particular need–'

Nadina shook her head firmly. 'I'm sorry, Spyro – but I can't tell you any more. I hope you understand that this is just the nature of the test.' As Spyro nodded apprehensively, she took a deep breath of wind, as if to brace herself and everyone around her.

'Now, take your places, and go your separate ways... and may the spirits guide you.'

* * *

Everyone had broken off in different directions, one after the other – Cynder and Sion being the most eager and the first to choose their region of forest to cover. Spyro watched as Alaia and Solaris strode forward in their chosen paths, and with one final glance at the tranquil Nadina, took off into the forest at a brisk pace. The forest floor was dotted with shadow and light spots, swaying in tune with the light breeze flowing through the upper branches.

His first thought was to climb a tree and fly over the canopy to spot his own blue gem, but recalled a few things that Cynder had told him when he asked for hunting tips. _One; not wasting energy when the hunt may take hours or even days_, which meant walking for most of it unless he could help it. Flying wouldn't improve his vision under the canopy, either. _Second; don't create unnecessary sounds that may mask your target from you_. Even though his current goal was to find a blue gem, he knew he might be able to hear the distinct guttural clicking that the Zhanda made underwater, and come back toward it after finding his gem.

Though he tried his best not to disturb the leaves under him, as well as loose branches and twigs lying on the layers of soil, he was surprised at the amount of animal life he spotted. He saw long, black, rodent-like creatures rush across his path, even some sniffing up at him curiously. He examined them curiously, wondering why they weren't running away from a dragon so much bigger than them. Among the rodent creatures, a bizarre, round yellow one with a large tail approached him as well, and staring at its twitching black nose, Spyro couldn't help but smile curiously and reach out towards it.

'Ow!'

A tiny spark of electricity zapped his claw as he retracted it, staring at the rodent incredulously as it scampered away after losing interest. _Was that a species from Concurrent Skies? Maybe some of them escaped..._

He also encountered larger herbivores that behaved in a similar manner, seemingly approaching him out of curiosity where caution should take hold. Spyro quickly began ignoring this puzzling behaviour, as he was wasting too much time – the sun was sinking slowly through the branches.

He kept his eyes and eardrums open for any beats of water or heavy clicking. Unfortunately, the curious animals were becoming a distraction, and he had to stomp heavily and growl to shoo them away at points. He inwardly felt guilty for this, but didn't really understand what was happening with them.

After nearly an hour of trekking through the thick forest undergrowth, Spyro finally came upon an upper slope of grey slate, clear of vegetation in the small area and letting a nice pocket of sunlight through – a large blue gem positioned at the top. He stood to absorb its rays for a minute, feeling slightly rejuvenated as he stayed within eye sight of the blue gem, studying the area to memorize landmarks in case he got lost. The slope of slate reminded him of a half-lidded eye, but without any pupils or sockets – though it did have quite a few layers making the eye look aged and worn. There was also a small freshwater pond a few steps away – too small to contain a Zhanda, but contained enough water to supply him for a few days if necessary.

Another of Cynder's tips popped up in his head. _Once you've grounded yourself, mark a trail so you can find your way back._ And so Spyro began exploring in several directions to find a large body of water, which might contain his quarry, marking nearby trees with his claws at his shoulder level. He also stopped shying away from disturbing the leaves and undergrowth, as it would make a return path easier to spot.

The first path – one continuing in the same direction out from the central clearing – came up short despite another half hour of swift searching. Spyro made his way back, and turned south – right from his approaching direction – and continued from there.

After another half an hour, Spyro managed to find another large patch of sunlight and stopped to rest, though the light was beginning to dim as the day continued into the afternoon. Though he began to hurry his pace a bit, he was inwardly relaxed as he was assured himself that this test wouldn't have anything to do with his internal doubts about himself and Malefor.

_Maybe it's just a test of skill, patience... maturity, maybe? Or how suited we are to becoming hunters? Who knows, though – since Nadina was admittedly cryptic about the whole thing._

Despite the unknown purpose of this hunt, and how clumsy he sometimes felt travelling through forests, Spyro found he was enjoying himself. It felt similar to his brief time in the Valley of Avalar, with nothing distracting him, no civilisation or responsibilities piled on him. Back then, Cynder and Sparx's company was welcome. But right now, it was just him and the forest, its calming energy about it, and finally – the animals that he needed to hunt...

Just as he was thinking of turning back from this path, he heard the faint pulse of a distant splash. Spyro fixated on its direction and sped forward as fast as he could whilst keeping as silent as possible, now trying to avoid treading too heavily.

Faint sounds of flowing water drew steadily closer, but despite that, it still took another ten minutes before he arrived. In his haste, he had to grind to a halt as he nearly went tumbling off the side of a small cliff. The trees were lighter in the area, and he had a clear view of a flowing, clear river before him, the afternoon sun still casting glints along its even surface. He studied the river for a long while, scanning the riverbeds and aquatic plants along the water's edge.

He spotted a small elk cow trotting alone down by a small sand bank, taking interest in the tall, soft plants with long stalks jutting out of the water. The plants themselves were not green, but predominantly red and orange, especially around the blooming flowers coating many of them. Spyro narrowed his eyes as he noted the colouration of the plants and water.

It came as little surprise to him, then, as the water's surface shifted very slightly. Spyro found it hard to spot this, but saw the elk stiffen and stumble backwards just in time.

The water erupted and a wedge-shaped head shot out of the water, snapping after its target with piercing velocity. The body leapt forward, but the elk had begun retreating just early enough to get away into the bushes beyond. With its full form revealed, Spyro stared.

It was taller off the ground than he expected. Its legs were naturally splayed on either side, but long enough to significantly push itself up into a standing position, like it was now. Its limbs and joints bulged with lean muscle. And there were three stout sails jutting out from its back in its aggressive stance, filled with reds, oranges and yellows in its webbing.

_An alpha..._

Spyro wasn't sure whether he was excited or nervous that he'd found one before any of the more common variety. Finding an alpha meant more meat, and possibly a better demonstration of skill if he could bring it down. Regardless, he fixated on the large animal and did his best to keep track of its movements as he scanned the opposite bank for a place to land without giving himself away. The Alozhanda didn't linger, however, and was already back underwater out of the corner of his eye just as he found a good spot.

He cursed to himself as he glided down swiftly, circling around to close in on the sun-coloured riverbank. Despite the water being basically crystal clear, the thick layers of colours and plants on the riverbed made it difficult to spot anything down there. It was as if the Alozhanda had vanished.

_Well, if they've been around for thousands of years at least, given the age of some of those scrolls... they had to survive somehow._

He had the brief notion to try and feel for its presence, thinking of how he managed to communicate with Talon before. He quickly shook it off as any advantage like that would be too similar to magic instead of raw skill and experience.

Instead, he settled for combing the bank for signs of movement underwater. No matter how stealthily the Zhanda moved, an animal of that size would create a noticeable aquatic disturbance if it tried to move or flee from this position.

And so Spyro waited, retreating and keeping his distance within the trees into which the elk had retreated before. His best hope was to wait until it tried to ambush another unsuspecting victim, then cut it off from the water and drive it into the forest. In that situation, he would have the advantage. If the Zhanda knew he was there, it made no signal or movement betraying its intent.

He watched patiently for another hour before another animal finally emerged from the forest, except this time, there were three: a pack of death hounds that resembled the kind he'd fought before, except for their colouring. These were a spotted dark green with shades of brown on their spotty, scaly skin – instead of the nightmarish purple and black of the others.

_I wonder if Volteer would consider renaming them; "death hound" only really suits those domesticated by Apes. These are wild ones. I wonder what he'd call them..._

They approached the water slowly, and a significant distance down river flowing east. Spyro's eyes darted towards the river as a large disc sunk into the water, signalling the Zhanda's movement towards its newly found targets.

Spyro followed carefully, taking the greatest care to avoid alerting any of the animals. He flinched as one of the hounds raised its head to sniff in his direction. He inwardly prayed that they wouldn't investigate and blow his cover, or the past hour would have been for nothing.

Thankfully, the pack approached the water after a minute of careful sniffing, not detecting either the dragon or Zhanda watching them. The three lowered their heads and lapped the water with forked tongues.

After a good ten seconds, the Zhanda burst from the water and closed its wide jaws down on the central hound's head and one paw.

Spyro's throat caught for a moment. Its eyes were nearly completely white, with only the tiniest hint of a black pupil buried within the milky mass poking out from its eyes sockets.

Its victim whined loudly in alarm and clawed at the Zhanda's face as its companions growled aggressively, biting and clawing at its face. Thick eyelids closed over its huge eyes, but not fast enough for a deep slash into its eyelid, causing the reptile to hiss deeply and retract its jaw for a moment.

This gave the unfortunate death hound – bleeding heavily from gashes to its leg and neck – the opportunity to back up, with its companions barking and lashing out at their pursuer with a ferocity Spyro could only admire. Despite the surprise, the Zhanda was still only three times the length of the hounds, and they were able to put up a good fight. However, their claws and bites had little effect on the Zhanda's face, as its eyelids closed and opened with every hound's retaliation. The long reptile emerged fully from the water in an attempt to grab the wounded hound – or one of its defenders should they retreat slowly enough – snaking forward and easily keeping up with the agile hounds.

This was his chance.

_Zhanda are much faster going forward than backward... but not as fast as me._

Spyro leapt from his position and ran as fast as he could, adrenaline rapidly kicking in and he focused his gaze on the Zhanda's unarmoured rear leg. The Zhanda turned its head at the interruption, but too late, as Spyro locked his jaws around the thick limb.

Rapid, panicked clicking sounded as it turned its head around in an attempt to bite at his tail, but with Spyro's strength he was able to drag the large reptile around; though it was difficult as the Zhanda was nearly as strong as he was.

Spyro maintained his grip despite the limb flailing in his jaw, and put himself between the Zhanda and the water. Crushing its leg in his jaws, he tried to do as much damage as possible.

The Zhanda then forced him to dislodge as it swung its thick tail from side to side, hitting him in his side, and he winced under the powerful blow. The Zhanda shuffled clumsily towards the forest, darting its head in different directions as it tried to get past him, but he raised his wings and lowered his head, exposing his horns. It couldn't move in a direction it wasn't facing, which made it easy to cut off.

The hounds were long gone, as Spyro's eyes shifted around, trying to predict where the Zhanda was going to retreat. There was only one clear path for the large reptile to go through: an opening of hard soil between several bushes, free of trees.

After several minutes of evading and rolling in the Zhanda's way, it backed away far enough from the bank for Spyro to begin attacking its face. He didn't go too far – the face was better armoured than its belly or lower midsection – just enough to scare it further into the forest. Whenever it would attempt to bite him, he lowered his horns, which were too hard for it to damage.

As they neared the edge of the forest, the Zhanda suddenly fanned out its sails and facial frills all at once, opening its jaws wide and wailing at the top of its lungs. Spyro froze as he beheld the white eyes and huge black mouth, lined with bone-white teeth, unable to move, as if staring at some horrible ghost screaming at him...

That gave the Zhanda the few seconds it needed to turn around, using its tail again for momentum, hitting him full on in the head before he could react.

He growled heavily as he clutched at his jaw, the internal bone stinging like it was burning. He didn't know if it was broken, but the prevalent throbbing would be a hindrance to another of his pursuits.

_You idiot, Spyro!_

The Zhanda had disappeared when his gaze focused again after some of the pain had ebbed, but he spotted it not far into the forest, moving along with a slight limp, thanks to his well-placed bite.

He inwardly thanked Cynder for her advice. Trying to kill it outright was out of the question; it was more effective to wound and exhaust it gradually until it couldn't run away or fight back.

He braced himself and ran after it, the constant treading making his jaw pulse jarringly with every step he took. His eyes darted around for any sort of crimson light while keeping his hearing focused on the Zhanda's hissing breath.

He pursued the Zhanda for quite a distance, no longer able to estimate the time. The setting sun and longer shadows made it even more difficult to spot the large reptile at a distance, despite its blue, orange and red markings normally standing out in a forest. Thankfully it was heavy and clumsy on land, and he was able to track it with hearing alone.

He finally found a small crimson crystal growing out of the ground next to a small pile of stones and bushes. He hastily placed a claw palm to the glowing surface, feeling the bone in his jaw shift uncomfortably.

_Come on, come on...!_

The pain faded away after a few long moments. He broke himself away and shot in the direction he'd last heard the Zhanda, quickly launching himself into the air, grabbing thick branches and breaking into a flight over the canopy. The effort made his leg muscles stiffen in protest, but he was able to pick up on the Zhanda's trail quickly as he sped over the passing trees, flapping his wings rapidly to maintain a steady pace.

He closed in on the sound, and slowed his flight down to maintain a clear view of the reptile below. It was making an impressive effort to get away despite its injury. However, Spyro's flight advantage allowed him to easily keep up with it, though he had to glance upwards every now and then to avoid any emergent trees in his path. He lowered his head, preparing to dive – spotting a clearing ahead that the Zhanda seemed unaware of.

He ceased his flight just as the trees cleared, diving straight onto the Zhanda and latching his claws deep into its back, stabbing them down into the thick plating. Its head and tail flicked side to side uselessly, the reptile unable to elevate its tail to knock him off.

It quickly resorted to rolling over him in the dirt in an attempt to crush him under its weight, but Spyro's recent near-death experience falling into the world's core with Malefor allowed him to hang on. Malefor had attempted to crush him and Cynder against a rock wall with his sheer strength, but they had been strong enough to launch off the wall to fight back. This was significantly easier to stomach, and Spyro didn't budge as he continued to snap at its neck wherever he could. The skeleton was too strong for him to snap its neck, and its armour prevented him from getting any deep wounds aside from the sides of its neck – the hardest place for him to reach in this position.

The two scuffled and threw up clouds of dirt in the new clearing for what felt like forever. Spyro's back legs were beginning to tremble in an attempt to keep himself steady. He'd managed to pierce its neck twice with his jaws, maroon blood spurting out in small droplets. The Zhanda's hissing became more laboured and its movements more desperate, dislodging his feet from its back. Using its tail for momentum again, the creature swung around and closed its jaws around his exposed leg. Spyro yelped in pain as its long and serrated teeth dug through his scales and into the flesh underneath.

He was thrown off by the Zhanda's strength, tumbling over the dirt, mixing into his now open wound. His right leg pulsed with pain as he got to his feet. He eyed the Zhanda as it turned around to retreat again.

Inside, he felt torn up as well. Here he was, inflicting as much pain as he was receiving, hunting a creature for some sort of test that he knew almost nothing about. The nagging thought had been there for a while now, but it wasn't until this point that his frustration bubbled to the surface, and he ground his teeth and trembled with it. He was doing something... consequential... without knowing why, and he hated it. He hated it more and more every second.

He glanced at his leg, and it didn't look good. Thick blood dripped out of it in a neat line. He could still walk on it, but the pain was stronger than his jaw injury before, and he doubted he could afford to find another crimson gem before the Zhanda found another body of water to retreat to.

He watched as the Zhanda gradually slowed down in front of him, only barely making it out of the clearing by the time he'd regained his bearings, simmering his hateful thoughts down temporarily. _At least it seems to have slowed down as much as I have..._

If staying on its back seemed forever, the ensuing pursuit into the dark forest seemed a longer eternity. His leg wasn't the only injury now, he quickly realised; his neck was sore from over-exertion in biting at the Zhanda's, and his other limbs – despite not bleeding – still trembled from his exertions. His wings drooped on either side, and he hadn't the luxury of keeping them erect as he ran as fast he could after the dark shape in front of him. His breathing was now audible, each gasp of air becoming more difficult. Questions begun to ring through his head over and over, his deep-seated frustration not helping matters.

Finally, when it seemed he could barely run anymore, slowing to a painful walk, he broke out of the forest but couldn't stop himself before his claws plunged into a soft sand dune. He blinked in surprise as he surveyed a large beach, emerging to the Eastern Ocean before him. He stared out in wonder, caught off-guard by the quiet lapping of the waves upon the shore, the night sky brimming with stars over a calm, still blanket of water, greeting him with a gentle breeze.

_I've broken past the forest... How far did I just go for this...?_

He remembered why he'd come so far, and after a moment of panic at losing his prey, he saw the Zhanda crawling down the dune slopes. It was barely a crawl; the once-fearsome animal was clearly more exhausted than he was, having difficulty even moving forward an inch, its breathing so slow he wondered if it was dying. Maybe it was.

_I... let's get this over with... _He thought tiredly. His jaw was sore, but he would still able to finish it, especially in its weakened state.

He let himself slide down the concave slope to follow the reptile's clear trail left in a long, thick line of sand, with red dots fading quickly into the rough surface. He circled around, examining the Zhanda from afar, making sure it wasn't strong enough to suddenly attack again. He couldn't help but be filled with sympathy for the enormous creature.

_I turned that horrible monster from the river... into this..._

He lined his jaw up on towards the creature's thick neck, baring his teeth, and preparing to plunge his longest fangs to sap away what life it had left. As he slowly closed his jaw around it, he squirmed. It wasn't with disgust; he had done things equally as disgusting to his other prey before. Despite his rational thoughts, his chest tightened, and eyes began to water.

_Why am I doing this?_

He knew he would never get the answers he needed before ending it. At that moment, he realised, truly, that he didn't care. He retracted his jaws, cursing himself for not understanding it until now.

'No... I don't want this.'

The Zhanda managed to turn its head toward him, curious, like those rodents he'd found before. Through its horribly thick and huge eyes, he could see it was just an animal, not some horrible monster.

The Zhanda moved its head slowly to stare at the ocean before them with half-lidded eyes. Spyro, unable to stem his emotions any further, let his mind wander. He couldn't hear words, like with Talon, but he saw much: swimming fish; long stalks of multi-coloured kelp and other underwater plants; forcefully flowing water into vast, dark depths. And last, an image of another Zhanda against the interior of a beach cavern. It was smaller, with only one fin jutting out of its back, with some green lining its scales. It looked in his direction, tilting its head and clicking steadily, as if pleased at his presence. The image shifted its focus toward a shallow pool filled with beady plants and white particles. It contained large eggs, white against the yellow sand.

And then, nothing. Nothing but encroaching darkness.

Spyro retracted from the sensation, his eyes brimming with tears. He collapsed, exhausted, physically as well as mentally.

_I'm not so different from him. I never was. He was just fighting for survival, just like I have almost all my life since finding the Apes. And... he has even more to live for than I do. Animal or not. Who am I to take that away? _His body flinched with anger again. _And... and for... what?! For some – stupid test?!_

He reached out with his thoughts again, seemingly on instinct. His spirit surged, the image of a crimson light flashing through his mind as he closed his eyes, and he projected it toward the animal next to him. It occurred to him, just for an instant, that he was breaking the rules of the hunt; but he no longer cared.

The Zhanda shifted, just as he felt his body sag and weaken at whatever he just did. Slowly, deliberately, it got to its feet, dragging its wounded body further and further forward until it touched its nose to the ocean before it. Relief emanated from it, its previous thoughts returning, its mind filled with energy, letting out one deep click as its tail disappeared into the water. Shadows trickled through the edge of his gaze as he watched. Spyro watched miserably despite the images returning.

_It... it's hopeless. With injuries like that... he won't last long anyway. I... I killed him... for nothing..._

Spyro didn't know what to feel. So many things were flashing through him that he couldn't keep them from spilling out.

And so he let it out. He began to sob uncontrollably, ignoring everything around him.

He raised his head and howled. He howled out at the ocean, at the sand, the stars, the silent animals behind and beyond, and finally an approaching set of heavy wings, making sounds he didn't hear. Tears poured down his face, at the overwhelming pile of questions about his own pathetic existence – no more important than an animal's – coming to a head.

And he lost himself.

* * *

He was drifting.

His eyes were closed, but he felt the familiar rush of air that he would while flying. But he was very sure he wasn't using his wings. He wasn't using anything, not even letting himself think, content to drift into nothingness for as long as possible...

_Wh... where am I?_

He eventually succumbed to his curiosity and opened his eyes to see the after-dark Viridian forest passing below him. He watched, silently, seeing something different that he had during the day. It wasn't an ecosystem, nor a lush trove of natural resources. He saw a city – a type different from Warfang, but not so different, either. Within it were stories, every animal in it containing one, as many ending abruptly as they did with contentment. He breathed heavily, taking in the fresh air, appreciating it all the more now.

'Spyro?'

Nadina's voice sounded, and Spyro glanced listlessly up at her flying form. She was holding him in her front claws, her strong and large limbs cradling him protectively. He appreciated the gesture; he quickly realised she must have grabbed him off of the beach in his pathetic state. As she glanced down at him, she looked to be on the verge of tears herself.

'I'm so, so sorry, Spyro. I had no idea this would affect you like this...'

As Spyro's mind cleared a little, he narrowed his eyes, as she said little else. _What? More things you refuse to tell me?_

His anger at her was unwarranted, but he couldn't help himself.

They travelled like that for a long while until they reached the familiar sight of a large clearing, along with more figures than should have been there. Nadina slowly landed, setting him down next to a red crystal, gently pressing his claw on it, and waited until Spyro was strong enough to stand on his own, but thrummed sadly at the look in his eyes not regaining any of their energy.

'It's over, Spyro. Come, sit with the others. There was a reason for this, I promise.'

Spyro didn't believe her. He didn't believe anything right now.

He heard faint voices in the distance as they emerged from the forest and into the clearing with the others. Spyro blinked, and all of a sudden, Cynder and Sion's faces were very close to his.

'Spyro! What happened?!' Cynder gazed at him with unbridled concern. 'You look terrible.'

Sion nodded in hearty agreement, his gaze almost as intense. 'You look like you threw yourself into the dirt, the ocean, a horrible spiky pit...' He glanced over Spyro's healed wounds on his leg, sighing with sympathy.

Spyro opened his mouth, but didn't say anything; he just shook his head and moved to join the others, most of them eyeing him with a similar empathy.

He blinked with surprise as he recognised the new arrivals. The wind dragons, Corla and Ralis, stood close to Solaris and Alaia respectively. They were seated around in a circle, each one of the test's participants now joined by another. Spyro quickly realised that Nadina was his, Sion's was Terrador, and Cynder's companion was... Kane.

The Atlawa nodded at him, and Spyro couldn't help but smile a little.

'A bit strange to see an Atlawa take part in a dragon tradition.' He glanced over at Cynder, who was smiling back at him and sitting next to the Atlawa like it was no big deal. 'And even stranger that you chose to follow Cynder.'

Kane snorted, noting the irony. 'I didn't choose her, exactly; she was just known to be the best hunter among your little group.' His cyan eyes scanned the group with a newfound respect. 'And here I thought the purple dragon was the only one worth anything. Seems there's more to you scaly giants than it appears.' And he managed a smile in Cynder's direction. 'And there's more to her, too.'

They fell silent as Terrador cleared his throat. 'I believe we should explain our presence here... given how much of this test was hidden from you.'

Cynder rolled her eyes, tilting her head toward Spyro. 'You think?'

Spyro began to study the others, and then noticed the carcasses, and his heart fell a little. He knew some successful hunts were likely to happen, looking back, but the sight just made him miserable right now. Cynder had one behind her, as did Solaris. The blue dragoness also had dried blood coating her wing talons, which made Spyro squirm uncomfortably. Sion, he now realised, still had fresh wounds that were not healed. As he thought about it, he realised that Sion _couldn't_ use the crystals, since he couldn't use magic. As Terrador regarded his subject with general approval, Sion glanced back at the Guardian with some annoyance; Spyro guessed Terrador had rescued Sion before him getting seriously hurt, while Sion believed he had his potential victory snatched away.

Then his eyes fell on the carcasses behind Solaris again. There were two; clearly behind Solaris and none of the other participants. The first was like the Alozhanda, but with two less fins and a bit smaller. The other... had green scales.

The images he'd seen – what felt like a few minutes ago – flashed through his head.

Solaris eyed him flatly, her eyes dim with disappointment. 'I will agree with Kane; there's more to us than it seems. All except you, Spyro. I would have expected the purple dragon to have at least come up with something.'

Spyro twitched.

'Shut up.'

Solaris frowned as she tilted her head towards him. 'What was that?'

'SHUT.' He stomped a foot down, a wave of green energy emanating from his claw print. 'UP!'

His scream shocked even Solaris, everyone flinching from the force his voice and the Earth blast. He strode over to the blue dragoness, still trembling, looking her straight in the eye and thrusting a claw at the corpses behind her.

'Do you have any idea what you've done?! What they are, what we are? Are you so full of yourself you can't see it?!'

Solaris blinked in slight alarm, but calmed herself to avoid lashing back at him. 'I've killed a male and female Zhanda – mere animals. Why do you care so much? I don't understand what you mean when you say I'm full of myself, so I don't see the problem–'

Spyro flinched and instinctively pulled his claw back, tension knotted in his limb.

'SPYRO!'

Nadina's yell stopped him, as well as the multiple gusts of wind bursting from the jaws of the wind dragonesses around him. Strangely enough, the wind should have been strong enough to blow him to the ground, but all it did was make him stop, lower his claw, and return to his position.

Nadina gazed down at Spyro, and while he detected a faint trace of disapproval for what he just did, for some reason, she seemed... happy. Overwhelmingly so, and he couldn't tell why.

'Explain yourself, Nadina. Please.' His voice fell, weakening, begging for answers.

Cynder was staring at the purple dragon, not fully understanding the sudden change in him. Spyro's eyes darted to the small carcass behind her, but ignored it for now.

'This test... well, this test separates the true hunters from simple killers. I had to leave you all in the dark to examine who you were when put in a dangerous situation, alone, with nothing to turn to but yourself. Like I said, not everyone passes, or fails. However, we have one clear success – and one failure.'

She stepped forward from Spyro's side, glancing around at everyone for seemingly dramatic effect, before landing her gaze on Solaris, narrowing her eyes. Spyro stared at her in surprise. She was as angry with Solaris as he had just been.

'Solaris, you have failed. Far, far worse than any young dragon I've ever seen.'

The blue dragoness was speechless.

'Corla described the way you hunted. You may have followed the rules; you used no magic, and displayed clear knowledge of your prey, and skill when you killed the first one. The male. But what you did next... is unforgivable.'

'At seeing her mate killed, the female attacked you. With your thick scales, their bites and attacks had little effect, regardless. Instead of trying to escape with your kill, which would have been simple given you can fly – and the male being relatively small – you lashed out in retaliation and killed her too. And not mercifully so, either.' She twitched her facial frills in displeasure. 'And here I thought you were intelligent, Solaris... Do you not realise that killing a female would have likely more impact on the population than killing the male? I never specified why we were hunting Zhanda, or whether the population was out of control or not. For all you knew, you may have driven a species further towards extinction!'

The large dragoness shook her head incomprehensibly. 'I don't know if that's what Magma dragons do, or if it's what you were taught. But with such a clear disrespect for life... you can never be a hunter, Solaris. You lack the restraint and respect required. You're a killer.' Her wings drooped sadly. 'I'm sorry, but there's no point in me continuing to help you.'

Solaris just stared back at her in disbelief. More so, that she was right about her.

_**What are you thinking, letting a **_**barbarian**_** slip into Warfang like this?**_

She remained silent as Nadina withdrew her gaze and looked around at Cynder, Sion and Alaia.

'You three performed admirably. You all displayed almost as much skill as Solaris, Cynder being the exception, but she was somewhat fortunate to find a lone male, killing it quickly and painlessly. Sion was at a disadvantage in being unable to use crystals, and so the Alozhanda he was pursuing escaped, despite his protests when Terrador dragged him back. Alaia...' – she shrugged, but not unkindly – 'you just need to be more confident, but being safe is better than being sorry. Try to better yourself for another time. Things may still be uncertain for you three, however; whether any of you are truly certain of what you are.'

She finally turned back to Spyro, beaming with so much warmth that it seemed to cast a light amongst the stars. 'Spyro... I think you know now.' She glanced around, focusing on Spyro as an example. 'He found an Alozhanda, and did his best to pursue it as far as he could and using the knowledge and skills he had. Arguably, it was the clumsiest attempt from the five of you, but that's nothing to be embarrassed about. Skill and finesse can change with experience. He was wounded and beaten several times, but was determined to see this test through, despite not knowing why. He tracked it to the very edge of the Viridian forest... over a hundred kilometres from here, to the Elipp Bay, bordering on our eastern ocean. He found the Alozhanda, weakened and exhausted, just like he was. In the end, Spyro understood exactly what the test was about, and chose to follow his heart and do what he knew was right.'

'He projected his own vital energy into the Zhanda, allowing it to retreat to the ocean and hopefully return to where he had found it. He broke the rules. And he may not have realised this, but in doing so, Spyro was willing to die to save an innocent animal from the will of others.'

She fanned her wings proudly. 'It's no wonder you were able to stop Malefor. You are so much stronger than he ever was, Spyro. You have a kind and merciful heart, respectful of all forms of life. Hold your head high – Spyro, at least when it comes to this...' She blinked a little. 'But don't let it go to your head, young one. You still have many years ahead of you in which you're heart may stray...' She smiled again. 'However, if my instincts are correct, you won't.'

No one spoke another word after that. Spyro felt strong enough to fly again, and while he didn't outwardly smile, warmth began to flow through him again. Terrador, Nadina and Ralis gathered the Zhanda carcasses.

As Cynder flew close to Spyro, they began to fly in formation, and she stared at Spyro in wonder. In a way, this was greater than defeating Malefor... and she gazed at him in a way that reminded her of that final afternoon, hovering over the Valley of Avalar... high above the ground, all their worries gone, if only for a few hours...alone...

Despite her overwhelming happiness, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the one left behind. Solaris – and thus, Corla – stayed in the clearing, where she saw the blue dragoness staring at the ground, unmoving. Cynder had always thought that _she_ would be the one to be accused of being a killer... not Solaris, the second dragon of their generation that they were fortunate to have met.

_Maybe Nadina's wrong... Or at least, maybe, she can still belong in Warfang, as long as we try to help her. _She sighed to herself. _For now... she just needs time._

That night, back in Warfang, Alaia was very eager when she invited Spyro, Sion, Cynder, and the opportunistic Sparx to have dinner at her house. The late hour meant that Tython had to be woken up for it, but he was just as enthusiastic when Corla arrived not long after, joining in celebrating Spyro's achievement, no matter how small he insisted it was. While he had been miserable, hungry, thirsty and horribly confused a few hours ago... now –even if it was for a moment –he had everything he wanted.

_I think I know where I belong now..._


	17. Wings of Discord

Chapter 16

Wings of Discord

* * *

Sparx was drifting in and out of wakefulness, his body telling him it was time to get up, but the late night beforehand and stinging eyes as he squinted told him otherwise.

_Sparx, my boy... you need to get out more. And to think, I thought Spyro was pathetic after one drink... Urgh..._

Feeling his forehead, the dragonfly pushed the pages off and crawled out of his book bed. Thankfully, Spyro hadn't touched the nectar offered last night, so Sparx' two large housemates were sleeping separately this time around. Though, judging from the looks the two gave each other last night, it was only a matter of "when," not "if," they would sleep together all the time. And he didn't want to think about what would start happening in this massive building when they were fully grown... especially considering some of the rather passionate bugles he heard from within other towering mansions once in a while.

Sparx hovered slowly in the air, frowning a little. _Barely a week into things, and I've already been in a dragon's giant house full of googly eyes. Spyro and Cynder, I could handle. Another one... maybe. But three?! Three's a crowd. Not to mention entire districts or cities._

He sighed heavily. _Is it just me, or am I starting to get in the way? Or am I just a tiny insect among smothery, scaly behemoth people?_

He chose to go with the latter, and floated towards a nearby glass window to see if any butterflies were out this morning. Instead, he saw an icy-blue tail, coated with six curved spikes, twitching uncomfortably.

_Great, another visitor... probably wanting Spyro and Cynder again._

Not wanting to disturb the two yet, he flew to the door and stole a peek through a door handle. 'Which giant lizard is bothering us this time?'

'... A poor choice of words, young Sparx – especially considering the company in which you currently keep.'

Sparx scoffed as he retracted his eye from the opening. 'Hey, I don't get to choose my relatives... or my roommates.'

Cyril sighed. 'Just open the blasted door, Sparx.'

Sparx eyed the massive, heavy doors before him, glancing down at his own puny arms. '... How?'

'What do y–' There was a paused. 'Oh. In that case, I will show myself in.'

The Ice Guardian opened the crimson door slowly, and shut it carefully before gazing around the building with a familiarity Sparx couldn't place. Then again, he couldn't place half the things about Cyril.

'It seems fate has a sense of humour...'

'What was that?'

Cyril shook his head as he eyed the large cushions on the stone floor. '... Nothing.' He eyed the dragonfly expectantly. 'Are Spyro and Cynder awake? I wish to speak with them immediately.'

Sparx shook his head tiredly. 'Didn't you hear about the hunting test they all went on? They're beat. And so am I; thanks for asking.'

Cyril raised a pale brow. _Ah, so _that's_ what Terrador and Nadina came back so late from. And here I was under the wrong... unsavoury... assumption. And yet their energies...Hmm..._

He eyed the waiting Sparx, his scale-lined blue eyes wandering over the piles of unsorted books from Spyro, dusty stone surfaces and rummaged furniture. '... Appalling – this place is a mess! What have you been doing with your hands all this time, Sparx?'

Sparx folded his arms, attempting to look affronted. Though under the Cyril's enormous stature, it had no effect. 'What makes you think I clean up after Spyro and Cynder? I'm not some housemaid!'

Cyril eyed him expectantly. 'I'd sooner believe you were doing something productive while Spyro and Cynder are busy with their education and whatnot. After all, I can't see what else you can contribute to this household.'

Sparx smacked his face lightly and dragged it down. 'Ugh... Did you come in for a reason? Or did you wanna stuff me into a weird servant outfit?'

'Hm...' Cyril studied Sparx curiously. 'That would help your image, admittedly. But if it displeases you so, I will get down to business.'

Before Sparx could object, the Ice Guardian poked his head through the large doorway to Spyro's room.

'Up, young dragon! Chop-chop-chop! You've got a rather taxing day ahead of you, do you not?'

Sparx smirked as he heard Spyro yelp and fall to the floor with a light thump. It wasn't long before Cynder was up, either, and soon enough they were both standing before Cyril, dreary eyed, yawning, and in Cynder's case, annoyed.

'Sparx... why'd you let him in?'

The dragonfly threw up his arms. 'First the housemaid, now the bouncer too...'

Spyro smiled brightly, and Cyril lowered his head a little to study him. Somehow, Spyro's violet eyes were clearer, brighter, more focused. He nodded to himself with approval.

_It seems he knows who he is now. At the very least, he knows more than he did before... It seems such crude tests can pay off sometimes._

'Something wrong, Cyril?' Spyro asked, stifling a yawn. 'It's... What time is it?'

'Four-solus.'

Cynder raised a brow dejectedly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her claw. 'Volteer promised we could sleep in today...'

'I wished to see you too, Cynder. Especially after my discussion with Shadros.'

Cynder's gaze widened fearfully, now fully awake. 'Wh...what do you mean?'

'It's nothing to be truly alarmed about, but he did voice his concerns for us allowing you to stay in Warfang. He didn't raise the point further, though, when I stood by what I said down on the landing platform.'

Cynder managed a grateful smile. 'Thanks, Cyril. But... what's Shadros like? Should I be worried?'

The Ice Guardian scrounged a troubled frown. 'If I was to judge him in the last few centuries, I would say there's nothing to be afraid of. However... during his youth, he did have a rather – hmm, how to put it? – sordid reputation. He had frequent squabbles with his peers during that time, though nothing seemed to come of it.'

Spyro and Cynder glanced at each other; concern etched on Spyro's face especially. Cyril shook his head lightly and cleared his throat.

'Like I said: no need to worry.' He cleared his throat as he steered the subject forward, adopting a business-like tone. 'I've come to retrieve both of you for the attendance of–'

'Cyril,' Cynder began tiredly, 'no offense, but we wanted to make the most of this time off. We've still got three hours...'

Cyril nodded swiftly. 'Indeed. The perfect amount of time for Snotty's trial.'

As the young dragon's eyes widened with interest, Sparx groaned loudly. 'Ya could've mentioned that when you came in!'

'Snotty's trial is today?' Spyro piped up frantically. 'Has it started yet?'

Cyril shook his head. 'Of course not, otherwise I'd be late. It would _not_ do for my image to be absent, let me assure you. I assume at least you, Spyro, wish to attend?'

The purple drake relaxed and nodded to himself. 'Honestly, I should have gone to see Snotty at least once before now.'

Cynder stiffened her shoulders. 'If we come... do we need to give testimonies, or something?'

Cyril puckered his muzzle thoughtfully. 'You do not _have _to, but you can weigh in your viewpoints when we reach key decisions or discussion points. We have to cater to every species and witness we can, after all. Given that Prowlus arrived this morning, it's the opportune time. In fact, Prowlus is already preparing his own reports against Snotty and his cohorts.'

Spyro's chest squirmed with more than a little concern. Despite everything, Snotty and the other Skavengers had been more cooperative than he'd expected, and felt he should be there to balance any unfair judgements from Prowlus... or any others that might come up.

'We're on our way, Cyril.'

The Ice Guardian frowned as he noted their grubby and dishevelled appearance; dirt, soil and blood still spotted over their scales. 'The hearing will start in twenty minutes. I suggest you both wash up and present yourselves properly.' He thrummed with slight displeasure. 'Though the hearing will admittedly be an informal one, it won't do for you two to show up like _this_ as representatives of us dragons, or your generation for that matter.' He glanced toward their staircase. 'Off you go, and do be on time.'

* * *

The three managed to get ready with a few minutes to spare upon landing, as the main gates to the Great Hall were closed and the current guard rotation wasn't letting anyone in. From the sounds of things, there were some Earth dragons inside, including Terrador, shifting stone blocks around within the tall building. Some other, older-looking dragons were scattered around the large stone area, content to sunbathe until the hearing began.

Cynder nodded to herself as she listened to the sounds within the Hall. 'I guess it really is informal, if they're still only just setting things up...'

Also waiting outside were the entire line of mammal races, including Kane, Mole-Yair, Hunter, Prowlus and Shiall. Oddly enough, Mason was not present, though there were many other moles waiting patiently, sitting amongst themselves on a grassy patch beneath some trees.

Cynder narrowed her eyes; there was something rather off-putting with how Shiall and Prowlus stood side by side. He was standing with his paws filled with whatever scroll Shiall had given him to look over, while she attended a large, neatly arranged pile. She didn't seem happy or sad, either. It was more like some political team or business partnership rather than a marriage.

Cynder shook her head. _First Cyril, now Prowlus... Aren't there any real romantic bonds?_

She glanced sidelong at Spyro, whose expression mirrored hers. She smiled a little, reassured that her own already felt quite real.

Most of the larger mammals were standing together, discussing some of their own history with Skavengers, as well as how the hearing was going to work. Prowlus stood away from the others, while Shiall kept glancing away in the group's direction as if she wanted to join them. The trio approached Prowlus first, swallowing a little as they prepared for his reception.

The dark-furred cheetah glanced up appraisingly as the two young dragons approached him, immediately giving his scrolls to Shiall, striding forward and folding his arms.

'Spyro, Cynder. I believe you were the ones responsible for apprehending this criminal?'

Sparx, after a bout of annoyance, glanced around. 'What? Is Snotty here already?'

'They're preparing him inside...' Shiall said stiffly, masking her enthusiasm. 'Mm... this whole business is a bit of a bother. I'd rather get it done quickly. I still have more history to decipher...'

Prowlus nodded, seemingly ignoring her last statement. 'As do I. Though I'd prefer to take him to our village and enact his punishment there.'

'Prowlus...' Spyro lowered his voice and chose his words carefully. 'What kind of punishment?'

'Lashes. Humiliation. Throwing him in the river... who knows? I can get rather imaginative when it comes to justice.'

Cynder shook her head with disapproval as Spyro narrowed his eyes, while Shiall rolled hers expectantly. 'You're jumping to conclusions awfully quick, Chief. The hearing hasn't even started yet, and you're already thinking up ways to torture him?'

Prowlus narrowed his eyes back at her as he leaned forward. 'Do you realise this is the first – first! – Skavenger that the cheetahs have been able to confront them for their crimes. Our history is unpleasant, all because of them, and their all-encompassing greed. They've gotten away with far too much over hundreds of years, and now, we can finally make them pay.'

Spyro exhaled heavily. _It's always "them;" "they," "the Skavengers," not "him" or "Snotty". To put an entire race's crimes and history on one's shoulders..._

'I don't think that we'll let you take him just like that, Prowlus.'

The chief snorted dismissively as he stood up straight and began ruffling through scrolls again. 'We'll see, young dragons. I've been preparing for this ever since I heard the mongrel had been captured.'

The two exchanged a sympathetic glance with Shiall as they moved to join the other mammals. Kane grinned as they joined the circle.

'Ah, the two triumphant hunters! It's good to see you both here – though not the pinhead.'

Hunter beamed down at them with similar approval. 'It's nice to see I was right about you, Spyro.'

Spyro shrugged modestly as he turned to glance at Prowlus. 'I think I've gotten enough praise, Hunter. Though... your chief doesn't seem to have changed his mind much...'

'He's just stubborn. It's part of the reason we've survived this long.'

Kane twitched his muzzle curiously. 'Sounds a bit like me, in a way.'

Cynder cleared her throat uncomfortably. 'Hunter, I don't mean to sound nosy, but... why did Shiall marry him? Neither of them seems happy at all to be around each other.'

Hunter frowned, his muzzle twitching with discontent. 'It was for the sake of the village. Prowlus is strict and uphold the law well, establishing order when we were surrounded by chaos, while Shiall does a good job of chronicling our traditions and history... though Prowlus largely ignores them as a result. It's not what I would wish for either of them, but sacrifices have to be made in times of strife. Still...' He glanced at the pair sympathetically. 'I do want better for Shiall. Her intelligence and curiosity are wasted on such a strict man like Prowlus.'

Kane gazed down at Spyro intensely. 'Hey, is it true that this Snotty's a master swordsman?'

Spyro nodded reluctantly. 'He is... very good. Just ask Hunter.'

'... Or my bruises.'

Kane chuckled. 'Sounds like someone I would get along with! Too bad he's up in chains. When are you training with him again, Hunter?'

The cheetah tapped his furry chin. 'If all goes to plan, and Prowlus doesn't drag him away to his death... this afternoon.'

'Good. I could use a round or two; last night's hunt only reminded me how much I missed the exercise.'

Down below, Sparx hovered in front of Mole-Yair, who had been rather quiet for a long time. 'Hey, blind guy? What have you against the Skavengers? Seems everyone else has some gripe with him.'

Kane frowned. '_I_ don't.'

'I was _talking _to Mole-Yair. Wait your turn, ingrate.'

Kane grunted with annoyance, but Mole-Yair twitched his nose thoughtfully.

'Honestly? Their only crime for us was housing me and my brethren for a few weeks. Otherwise... we've never had anyzing of value, so the Skavengeres haven't bothered us. I will try to act as an objective party.'

Spyro nodded empathetically. 'So will I.'

Kane regarded the purple drake doubtfully. 'I dunno, Spyro. Despite the praise you got for your test, you _are_ pretty soft.'

Sparx sniggered to himself. 'And Prowlus is as hard as you can get, so it balances out.'

They all fell silent as the massive gates ground against stone and slid open; Terrador and Tytus appearing in the distance, standing in the wide archway to greet the crowd. The Earth Guardian smiled around at them, though they could tell he was tired, showing only in his green eyes.

'We're all ready for you. The stands on your left are for dragons; the ones on the right are for everyone else. Unless you wish to risk getting stepped upon, I'd recommend sticking to these arrangements.'

The inside looked vastly different from the usually spacious hall. It was still huge, especially to Sparx, but now it was filled with raised stone platforms, forming tall, sturdy stands of stone. The setup on the left had three widely spaced levels, enough to accommodate around twenty adult dragons. On the other side, a similar construct sat, built with around ten levels. Both platforms were lined with cushions, though for the dragons they were large and round to account for their size. The opposing rows had assorted stone seats embedded into the back wall of each level, catering to the size of both moles and cheetahs, and were also fitted with cushions. Spyro and Cynder chose to join Hunter and the others rather than the dragons, as they didn't know most of those coming in. Tytus nodded to them as they sat opposite, but otherwise maintained his gaze upon the prisoner. Prowlus and Shiall took their places further down their level, the third up from the stone floor.

To the right of the elemental dais upon which the Guardians now stood, the guilty party was standing in a small, raised stone circle down on the right side from the entrance. Snotty was wearing steel chains likely fashioned by the moles, attended to by Clauk and Mason. Snotty looked oddly nervous – as if he was giving about to give a speech rather than being tried as a criminal. Wort was chained up similarly, though with more chains hooked into the stone floor. Scratch and Sniff were still in their cages, frozen stiff by the volume of gazes bearing down on them. Sparx grinned widely as he locked gazes with Sniff, and the Chirrup hopped down in frustration as the dragonfly drew his finger across his own neck.

The three Guardians quickly took their places as they surveyed the incoming traffic. Spyro, Cynder and Sparx watched curiously as more guests came in. A signifant percentage was cheetahs; in fact, Spyro was inclined to believe the entire population from Warfang was already here – the rest must have arrived from their village. Among them crept Meadow, who looked a bit nervous at the small crowd before him, but took his place further up from them.

Cynder shivered when she spotted Shadros pushing through the gates, halting the traffic for a moment as he lumbered through, taking up most of the doorway with his huge wings. The old Ice dragon took a place on the ground level.

When the guests had quieted down and stopped arriving, Terrador cleared his throat loudly, silencing the crowd before him.

'Thank you all for coming on such short notice. We are very pleased with the attendance, especially considering how long it's been since the Deep War's end.'

Cyril cleared his throat. 'I'm sure you're all aware of our purposes here today. Thanks to Spyro and Cynder, the current leader of the Skavenger fleet is in custody today. And now we have the... pleasure of witnessing him confess to the crimes of his race. Volteer, if you will?'

Volteer grinned and eyed a scroll unrolled before him, running down a tall stone pedestal that had similarly been raised by the Earth dragons. 'The accused party's crimes include, in no particular order: burglary, theft, arson, slavery, species trafficking, kidnapping, murder, catslaughter... and trespassing. Quite a résumé, wouldn't you say?'

There was a spur of angry muttering from the moles and cheetahs especially, along with a few fang-bearings and growls from the dragons. Snotty and Wort had no reaction, though Sniff stiffened even further. Scratch maintained a passive gaze.

Terrador cleared his throat warningly. 'Keep in mind that most of these crimes have been brought forward by the moles and cheetahs from personal accounts – some of which we'll be hearing today.'

'Take note, however...' Cyril continued, 'that this hearing is not in any official capacity, as it is not a matter of whether the accused is guilty, but rather what punishment is most fitting. We will maintain order in the court, however, and only by our grace can a member of the audience speak.'

Shadros, loud even among the other elder dragons, growled his displeasure. Cyril pointed his head over at him expectantly.

'Something you wish to say, Shadros?'

'How will you decide who is worthy to speak? There are too many here to pay attention to every measly creature. Our memories are clearer on such matters, given our vastly longer lifespan. Therefore... our viewpoints and foresight should take priority.'

There were several murmurs of discontent among the mammals. Cyril shook his head and answered quickly. 'The moles and cheetahs have as much reason to be here as we do, Shadros. More, in fact, given the severity of their losses to the Skavengers compared to us.'

At the ensuing murmurs among the audience, Shadros fell silent; the Guardians waited for everyone else to follow suit. The old ice dragon and a couple of other elders muttered to each other irritably but simmered down as well.

'Now, Chief Prowlus of the Avalar cheetah tribe; you wish to speak first?' Terrador raised and bowed his head to the cheetah respectfully. 'I can see you're prepared, in any case.'

Prowlus strode from his ground position to the opposite side alongside the dragon audience, in another raised stone circle, facing his accusers with a twitching muzzle. Without even acknowledging the dragons above, he unrolled a scroll from under his arm onto the circle's stone pedestal. From the look of it, the scroll was just a summary scroll, as Prowlus cleared his throat for an opening statement.

'I don't think I need to introduce the Skavenger race here. Every one of our species has suffered at the hands of these... mutts. The dragons too, but that's another matter, for another time.' A few dragons frowned as he continued. 'To that end, all of us should have our own incentives to put these criminals away for good.'

Kane cleared his throat and raised his staff, and Cyril nodded in his direction.

'Not the Atlawa, ahem... "Chief" Prowlus.'

Prowlus looked up briefly and folded his ears backward in annoyance.

'Of course _you_ wouldn't, Atlawa. You live too far up and away from the world to bother.'

Kane twisted his muzzle but otherwise didn't react as Prowlus looked back to his list. He then recited – with vivid recollection – some of the more recent crimes committed by the pirate menace. These included the slaughter of entire scouting parties, destroying land and crops, and with unbridled disgust, defiling their females. Even Volteer couldn't help but scowl at the accused when they offered no defence for this particular crime, as he scrawled down the new offence into some leatherbark.

Spyro listened intently, beginning to notice a pattern in Prowlus' accusations. He could understand where Prowlus' fury came from now, though he had trouble picturing a race that committed _that _many crimes against anyone. However, despite being appalled at the likelihood of the atrocities committed, he still wondered whether Snotty deserved the outpouring of hatred from the chief just now.

_If Snotty isn't completely to blame for all this, then who is? Persecuting the entire race isn't exactly practical... though it's a bit late to think about that now. Hmm..._

By the time Prowlus was finished, most of the crowd were now glaring at the guilty party in one way or another. Even the moles managed to give off a menacing vibe with their numbers, their large teeth and beady eyes quite obvious now as they stared.

And yet through it all, Snotty maintained a steady and dignified gaze towards his accuser. Spyro narrowed his eyes curiously; the same couldn't be said for Scratch and Sniff.

Cyril frowned anxiously as Prowlus finally concluded his speech. 'These are clear violations of all things we hold dear! It frustrates me to no end, that were it not for Malefor, the Apes, the Grublins... we would have hunted down these raiding fleets and ended them long ago.' Prowlus raised a sceptical eyebrow up at him. 'I formally apologise on behalf of the dragons, Prowlus, for the loss of your people and resources to these Skavengers.' He glared coldly down at the accused. 'Snotty, what do you have to say for yourself!?'

Snotty sucked in a breath, but remained calm. '...Nothin'.'

Prowlus, after staring at the captain for a moment, slammed a paw down, letting out a sharp _smack_ echoing throughout the hall.

'Nothing!? Is that all you have to say after all we've lost to you monsters?!' The other cheetahs in the room began to mutter amongst themselves. 'Our tribes were once widespread over the continent, but thanks to you and your mad dogs, we are now reduced to one encampment!'

Hunter cleared his throat, directing the Guardian's attention to him for a moment.

'Chief Prowlus; while it may be true that the Skavengers have been our enemies for many generations, you failed to mention the grublins and the Deep War are also responsible for the state of our people.' His feline eyes flicked up toward the Guardians. 'Keep that in mind before passing your judgements.'

The crowd calmed down somewhat, but Prowlus was unmoved as glared around stiffly. 'That does not in any way excuse what _they_ have done to us. Their crimes still stand.'

Prowlus inclined his head toward the audience as he returned to his position. The Guardians waited until the cheetahs were silent before glancing around for other speakers.

'Does anyone else have tales to share?' Terrador rumbled.

A red-and-orange wing rose from the dragon audience, and Spyro blinked as he saw Areth clear her throat.

'I have one; though I doubt it is worth speaking over a podium for.'

Cyril nodded. 'Go ahead, Areth.'

The fire dragoness nodded and stood up on all fours, projecting her steady voice around the hall. 'During my rather... incongruous youth, my explorations led me to seek out other races for the sake of research, and of our records here. Fortunately, I spotted a few of their scout ships and allowed them to believe they'd shot me down as I landed on one of them.'

Sniff and Scratch's eyes widened in alarm.

'And so that orange chirrup ranted on how I would make myself useful and how they would make me fight their beetles and toys and whatnot, all the while I was studying how they lived. I couldn't see much given my confinement to one of their emptied animal cages, but I saw enough to be intrigued and gather significant data. It's quite surprising how keen their sense of smell is, given the stench I detected throughout my time there...'

'Is there a point to this?' Shadros grunted loudly, prompting Areth to narrow her eyes down at him.

'Well, after two weeks of playing around with them I decided that enough was enough. So I blew a hole through the back of my cell and left, and recorded my findings by the time I returned. Though it has not been officially published yet...'

Cyril sighed impatiently. 'I'm sorry, Areth, but what does this have to do with the accused party's sentence?'

'Ah... well, my self-imposed imprisonment for two weeks, if you'd like to have that on the list.'

A few other dragons spoke of their encounters with the Skavengers, though only adding some minor grievances to the list in comparison to the cheetahs. The worst that came up was Ralis' account of being shot out of the sky and breaking her wing on crash landing, but still managed to return to Warfang despite the injury.

The last speakers were the moles and Mole-Yair, whose accounts only added up to business-related matters and theft. Since most moles preferred to live underground, their encounters with the Skavengers were very rare, thus mass theft of property was the main accusation from them.

After an hour of such deliberations, Terrador sighed tiredly as it looked like the hearing was drawing to a close.

'In light of the crimes presented to us without refute, especially from Prowlus and the cheetah tribe, the decree we stand at now is... life sentences.' Snotty and Wort stared up at them in shock. 'Though I wonder if we can afford to house the current prisoners for that long.'

Mason, present in the mole crowd, raised his paw from the fourth level up. 'Guardians! I wish to remark upon a new development; following some observations of the accused here.'

Several of the dragons from the audience shifted impatiently, but Terrador inclined his head and invited the mole forward. Clauk eyed him with concern as the small mammal approached Snotty, seemingly without regard for his well-being despite the captain towering over him. He studied Snotty's left hook in particular.

'May I?' Clauk glanced at the Guardians questioningly. Terrador nodded, while Cyril frowned doubtfully. The guard nodded reluctantly down at the two, and the canine offered his hook for inspection.

Mason poked, prodded and pulled the hook for a few moments, examining the contraption enclosed in place of Snotty's wrist. 'Fascinating... Skavenger, good dragons, I have a proposal. If I could learn from this device, it would speed up our reconstruction efforts and up the efficiency of our forging facilities; even further than just having the dragons to help.' He backed away respectfully and raised his chin as he addressed the Guardians. 'I say that if "Snotty" here cooperates in allowing me to replicate the technology; he and his cohorts may have their sentenced reduced.'

The Guardians glanced between each other for a moment. Volteer grinned enthusiastically while Cyril's reaction was more subdued, but the three nodded down at the mole.

'We will consider you're proposal in earnest, Mason, but the reduction may still depend on the final sentence we give.'

Volteer cleared his throat one last time, attempting to stifle his enthusiasm from the mole's proposal as said mole returned to his position. 'Does anyone else wish to weigh in their opinions on the sentence? This will be your last chance, after all. And I don't need to mention the severity and volume of the crimes–'

Spyro raised a wing, though it took the Guardians a moment to spot him hidden amongst the mammal audience. 'Volteer? I want to say something... that's been bothering me for a while.'

The crowd looked upon the purple dragon with interest, though Spyro caught a few disapproving glances from the dragons as well. His stomach squirmed under their gazes, but he kept his voice steady.

'The crimes we've heard so far have been horrible, and many... but who's really responsible? All of the accounts have been directed at the Skavengers as a whole, not toward the people and... chirrups here in front of us.'

Prowlus growled heatedly. 'Were you not the one responsible for letting the rest of them go, purple dragon? Who is to say the guilty are not among them?'

Spyro nodded slowly. 'I was thinking of Warfang's safety first. Housing the entire crew here in Warfang would be too dangerous for any prison sentence.'

'And as such,' Prowlus growled, 'the mutts and parrots here should pay for all of it.'

Spyro paused and glanced at the floor for a moment, the Guardian shifting their necks forward with interest.

'I sense you're going somewhere with this, Spyro.' Terrador said.

'Question the chirrups... directly.'

The Guardians raised their heavy brows in surprise, then fascination, with the request. They nodded down toward Clauk, who grabbed the two cages in one claw and placed them in the centre of the elemental pedestals for all to see. Sparx rubbed his palms together, grinning evilly.

'Ooh, this is gonna be good.'

Cyril frowned down at the petrified birds icily. 'Volteer, tell me something. How long can Chirrups live?'

Volteer beamed at the turn of the subject. 'Ah! Yes, these birds, while rare as pets, were reported in the distant past to live for up to three hundred years! They are bested only by the Great Falcons. Too bad they're far too loud for their own good.'

Cyril nodded to himself, maintaining his volume so the whole hall could hear. 'And Skavengers?'

'Hmm? Well, according to what I read from Areth, most are killed rather than dying of natural causes, but... the oldest was approximately ninety years old. Similar to the cheetahs, in that respect, which is also accounting for the unsavoury conditions of their dwellings.'

Terrador took in a breath and lowered his head to stare through the chirrup's cage bars. 'You two. Tell me, how many captains have you two heralded?'

Sniff cringed away from him. 'Heralded? What kinda word is that?'

'He means guided, fool. Mentored. Watched.' Scratch gazed back at the dragons flatly. 'And we admit nothing.'

'You might want to reconsider...' Cyril growled with heavy restraint. 'The falcons will become the least of your concerns if you don't speak now.'

Sniff narrowed his eyes. 'What? You threatening us, dragon chumps!?'

'Not at all.'

Cyril nodded to Volteer, who grinned and poked a claw through Sniff's cage bars; a yellow bolt flashing through the cage. The chirrup screeched and his head hit the cage's ceiling, him ruffling his wings with displeasure, and his voice dropping.

'OW! Why... you little–!'

Sparx raised his brow in surprise. 'That was too quick. More!'

Scratch recoiled fearfully as the Guardians turned to him, Cyril continuing his subdued growl. 'We can continue if you like. Your turn, perhaps?'

Scratch hunched his shoulders, dropping them in defeat after a moment. 'Very well. Yes, we were present; from the very beginning of the clashes with the cheetahs.'

'And?' Terrador's growl rattled the cage.

'... And we came up with the plans.'

Sniff glared out the corner of his eye, mumbling weakly. 'You... little... coward...'

Volteer blinked curiously, none of the ire from the other two present in his yellow eyes. 'You mean to say that two – _birds_ – masterminded the summation of the Skavenger race's crimes?'

Snotty grunted, a knowing edge coating his gruff tone. 'I always knew yeh birds weren't to be trusted. Too shifty and smarty. I shoulda had Wort roast yeh alive...'

Scratch was shaking his head meekly at the joint accusation. 'We... did not want everything the Commanders did. The destruction, killing, and... well, raping; were essentially wasteful.'

'But you kept at it all, despite this reasoning of yours,' Cyril said forcefully. 'You accepted these disgusting, wasteful acts to get what you wanted. What did you truly want, then?'

Scratch looked away, a subdued shame hovering in his eyes. Sniff was the one who spoke up next.

'Is it so hard to figure out, scaly chumps? It was fun! Ordering those ugly nincompoops around without question made us feel big! Important! Important enough to go up against all you scaly chumps! Furry chumps!' A manic glint entered the purple bird's eyes. 'The whole sea – the world – was our _CHUMP _to play around with! The Apes, the dragons, cheetahs, moles... all you idiots are so stuck up with yourselves it's maddening!'

Scratch stared forward lifelessly. 'You... you fool. You've just sealed our fates.'

The three Guardians looked between themselves resolutely.

'That's a confession if I ever heard one,' Cyril stated flatly.

'Life in prison, then.' Terrador wasn't sure whether he should be angry with the birds or confused. The thought of such creatures doing such things in comparison to the altruistic but mute falcons was... strange. Appalling. But not completely unexpected... This world still contained many secrets, even to dragons.

While Sniff was still distracted by his own chaotic fantasies, Scratch's small eyes widened in horror. 'No... not those monsters... please, I beg you...'

Prowlus, who had been glaring at the chirrups for the past few minutes, cleared his throat gruffly, directing his gaze down towards Hunter.

'Hunter; is that where you housed them until now? With the falcons?'

Hunter nodded coldly as he studied the guilty party further. 'Indeed. Now it seems they will be far less... accommodating to them than they were before.'

The two cheetahs studied each other's gazes for a moment, before Prowlus nodded calmly, some of his previous fury seemingly dissipating. 'That would suffice for those vermin's punishment, then.'

Volteer studied the pair curiously, while Terrador and Cyril raised a brow in confusion between them.

'I suppose it's settled, then,' Terrador stated guardedly. 'For the chirrups, at least.'

'And what of the dogs?' Hunter said, noticing Wort and Snotty grinning ever so slightly. 'We can't let them off the hook. Snotty and his crew are still guilty of robbing those moles.'

'Indeed...' Cyril glanced down at the two Skavengers as Clauk returned the chirrup cages to their positions. 'How do you plead to this crime, Snotty?'

The captain twitched his nose reluctantly. 'Guilty. Aye admitted such a thing to the purple lad and black lass over there; so there be no point sayin' otherwise here.'

The Guardians looked to the two young dragons expectantly. 'Well, Spyro? Cynder?'

The two exchanged a glance and nodded. As the Guardians nodded back, they all breathed in heavily, directing Clauk to shove the two canines towards the middle where the Chirrups just were. Terrador raised his voice, speaking clearly for everyone to hear.

'Snotty, you and your Skavenger cohorts are sentenced to ten years in prison, which we may reduce to five after a period of cooperation from Snotty. Depending on your level of amnesty from now on, it may also increase. There will be no appeals for further reduction in the sentence.' The cheetahs murmured with some discontent, but didn't raise their voices or question the dragons. Snotty and Wort nodded submissively. 'Clauk, you may take Wort back to his cell. Hunter, you may escort Snotty to your next training session.' He bowed his head, rumbling his exhale with finality. 'This hearing is adjourned.'

* * *

The crowd, along with the Guardians, departed quickly. Spyro, Cynder and Sparx managed to avoid getting crowded or trampled by positioning themselves behind the larger dragons and managed to push through the mixed-species crowd rather smoothly.

Once they were in the courtyard, Cynder looked up in surprise as she spotted Kane, Hunter and Snotty waiting for them through the crowd. She nudged Spyro and they pushed through to meet them.

Snotty was still wearing cuffs, though Hunter was carrying a key strapped to his leather waist strap. For some reason, the cheetah suddenly looked very miserable, while Kane was grinning with dark amusement.

'What's so funny, llama man?'

Kane just rolled his eyes, but pointed his head at the cheetah to answer the dragonfly. It was Snotty, however, who spoke – quite happily, in fact.

'Aye was just tellin' cheetah boy here what me demands arr for the day's training.'

'And?' Cynder said, guessing it was some other crazy demand.

'It's a bath,' Kane stated flatly.

The trio glanced at each other cluelessly. 'And what's wrong with that?' Cynder asked again, a smile creeping across her face.

Hunter cleared his throat. 'I have to... supervise.'

The trio raised their brows uncomfortably.

'Ohh...' Sparx smirked. 'Well, I wouldn't want to be you.'

Spyro glanced between Snotty and Hunter curiously. 'Hunter, would it be alright if I came to see your training session? I think I should learn a thing or two from Snotty... given how our last fight turned out.' He glanced toward his companions. 'What do you two think? We still have about an hour.'

Cynder nodded sideways to herself. 'Could be useful when fighting things that use weapons; especially if we have to fight those orcs any time soon...' She blinked as she thought of herself and Spyro in a few years. 'And maybe even against trolls or those giant orcs once we're bigger.'

Sparx simply shrugged. 'Hey, as long as the pirate gets a thrashing by someone, I won't complain.'

Hunter and Snotty exchanged opposing glances. 'That's... not how it works, unfortunately.'

Snotty sniggered. 'Yeh think? Just a matter o' how beaten up yeh get!' The canine frowned impatiently. 'Well, we goin' or what?'

Kane frowned silently as they strode down the steps together, as if bracing himself for a beating of his own.

* * *

Spyro, Cynder and Sparx decided to use the large central dragon pool for another clean-up, given Cyril's reaction to their unflattering appearance that morning. Snotty, upon witnessing the clean, well kept pools – rushed forward in anticipation for a bath he had presumably not taken in his entire life. Karrina glanced over the new visitor with interest as he walked in first.

'Oh! Well hello... you must be that Skavenger I've heard so much muttering about.' She studied him closely as he turned to her. 'Strange... the way those moles described you, I'm surprised you're not slobbering all over the floor with your tongue hanging out.'

Snotty grinned cheekily. 'Aye, lass; I'd wish for nothin' more.' He glanced flatly at his other mammal companions. 'Don' think they'd like that, though.'

'As if there's not enough Skavenger slobber in the cells already...' Hunter muttered.

'Karrina!' Kane barked suddenly, causing Snotty to jump. 'Why weren't you at the hearing? Shouldn't the only two Atlawa in the city attend as the representatives?'

Karrina eyed him, her bright expression falling instantly. 'Great. I wondered when you'd show up, brother. Then again; I'm surprised it took you this long to find me, if only to give me another lecture.'

'Lecture?! You abandoned your people. _Our_ people.' Kane's brow furrowed deeply. 'And you couldn't even be bothered to find me – despite the lengths I went to making my entrance all showy.'

'Yes, like I pay much attention to politics.' Karrina sighed. 'Did it occur to you that I didn't want to hear your nagging voice so soon?'

Hunter backed away slowly as the argument gradually heated, Kane getting more riled while Karrina maintained her composure for the most part. Spyro, Cynder and Sparx likewise edged towards the edge of the large pool and prepared to clean themselves, when Hunter flinched with a start, glancing around anxiously.

'Where did that slippery dog go?!' _If he's escaped already, the Guardians will have my hide..._

Sparx pointed around the side of the large blue wall. 'I think he ran off to the mammal bath already...'

Hunter groaned as he moved to follow. _Don't tell me he's drowning in those cuffs..._

Spyro and Cynder sighed with contentment as they let themselves slide into a shallow section of the main pool, their bodies absorbing the heat like sponges. They soon sank into the calm, soothing nature of the building – quiet apart from the arguing Atlawa. Sparx hovered and smiled as the two voices sounded from the other side of the building.

'Ah, there you are Snotty, you – d'aargh!'

'...What? Don' like what yeh see, pussycat?'

'Just... how did you get your...? Ugh. I need to get those cuffs off...'

'Sure thing!'

There was a quick series of splashing, followed by a sharp and disgusted cry.

'Ah! No! Stay in the water...'

'How do I get yeh cuffs of then, eh? Silly cat!'

'Just... hold out your arms...'

It sounded as if Hunter was trying to fit the key while also not looking at whatever horrible sight he was witnessing, with Snotty growling with a mixture of amusement and frustration.

'Yer eyes really that sensitive? 'Dis bath be quicker if yeh'd just hurry it up.'

There were a few moments of metallic fumbling before a click resounded.

'Ah, good. Now I can finally–'

A sudden _smack _echoed through the building followed by a long splash and several seconds of drops hitting the stone floor, before the canine's barking guffaws rotated around the building. It wasn't long before Hunter returned, approaching the trio with his cloak, feet and face drenched. Sparx eyed him expectantly, fighting back his own chuckles.

'Well, heh... Hunter... Still think this training is worth it?'

'I think...' – Hunter gulped – '...I will skip lunch today...'

Spyro raised his brow, glancing in Snotty's direction in amazement. 'How did he get away like that? Without making a sound... A bit unsettling if you ask me.'

Cynder snorted her agreement before she spoke up. 'Hunter, didn't you ask Prowlus for help? Why are you still bothering with Snotty, anyway?'

Hunter regained some of his composure as he unwrapped his thick cloak in the humid air, folding it up in his arms, exposing his firm arms and shoulders. His frown deepened despite the relaxed atmosphere. 'I did indeed... You can guess as to his response.'

Sparx cleared his throat dramatically. 'You asking for favours, Hunter? Well, tough!'

Hunter managed to crank out a stiff smile. 'Close... but no, he shut down the moment I told him of my previous arrangement with Snotty. He called me a fool for ever trusting the word of a Skavenger, and that it could only lead to the dog killing me at some point.'

Spyro frowned with disapproval. 'And that's ignoring that so far he's kept his word.'

'He could've killed you, though, Spyro...' Cynder glanced at him worriedly before returning her attention to Hunter. 'So he just refused to help you based on that?'

Hunter shook his head reluctantly. 'That, and well... he and Shiall are now very busy trying to make sense of where the cheetahs are at. We might have had that one main encampment, but we do have scattered regiments cropping up now and then. Prowlus is using my falcons to stay up to date with as many camps as possible.'

'Is it true, Hunter?' Spyro asked worriedly. 'Is that one village the only one left of the cheetahs?'

Hunter smiled with encouragement. 'Ha... Prowlus does tend to exaggerate for the sake of an argument. Fear not, Spyro – the cheetahs were nomads for generations, so having a village at all at this point is considered a luxury. Given our knowledge of the land, it wouldn't surprise me to know that most of our race is out there in the wilderness somewhere.'

Spyro couldn't help but think of dragons doing the same, and how few seemed to be returning to Warfang. He inwardly hoped the state of the Guardian dragons wasn't as fragile as it seemed.

His thoughts were interrupted as Kane's annoyed muttering reached them; the Atlawa dunking his feet into the water next to Spyro, causing Sparx to pinch his nose and fly upwards where the smell couldn't reach him.

'Family. Can never agree with you, not once!' He barked, not looking up from the water. 'And after all I did for her... she would still rather sit on her behind staring at dragons all day.'

'So she _is _up to something with that...' Sparx murmured quietly. 'No wonder the dragon's bath is in full view of her little room.'

Kane raised a sceptical brow as he looked up. 'Huh? No, pinhead, this building was built long before she and I were even born. It just happens to cater to her scale fetish.'

Hunter was beginning to look sick again as Spyro and Cynder exchanged rather awkward glances. 'I think you're being a bit too hard on her, Kane,' Cynder reasoned, 'it sounds like she got tired of life in the Tall Plains. And she's happy here.'

Kane eyed her flatly. 'Hardly. She's out of control without my supervision. She was even ogling that Skavenger! It's unnatural, I tell you.'

Sparx raised his arms in appeasement. 'Hey! No argument from me, Kane.'

'...Unnatural, huh?'

Kane jerked his head around just in time to get smacked in the face. Karrina cupped her muzzle in feigned shock as he growled and rubbed his own.

'Oh dear... I was aiming for the back...'

Cynder snorted with amusement. 'Maybe you shouldn't go talking about your sister behind her back.'

Kane eyed his sister flatly. 'But it is unnatural – your obsession with other races was what made you so useless in the first place–'

'–so I might as well make myself useful here. A life of nothing but hunting and farming is not for me. How many times have I told you that, you stubborn old man?'

Karrina folded her arms as Kane attempted a rebuttal, but he only remained silent. She sighed and turned her attention to Spyro and Cynder, her muzzle brightening up instantly.

'Aaanyway... Spyro! I hear some congratulations are in order. Quite a few earth and wind couples were here this morning talking about you!'

Spyro could only grin sheepishly. 'Thanks... Karrina... but I'm already getting tired of the attention.'

She touched her muzzle apologetically. 'Oh! I'm sorry, Spyro. But they didn't hold back talking about it... especially considering how no young dragon has passed like that for over a thousand years.'

Kane _harrumphed _in response. 'To be honest, I think you went too far, Spyro. I certainly wouldn't be willing to die for an animal I'm supposed to be hunting.'

Karrina rolled her eyes. 'Not the point of the test, Kane!'

Kane frowned back at her. 'You think?! Spyro would not make a good hunter, despite all this attention he's getting.'

Kane's words fell bluntly on Spyro's eardrums, making him frown back. On reflection though – he had to admit the test only cemented the idea that he was not comfortable with being a hunter. Not as a living or profession, anyway.

'... You might be right, Kane. I don't think I want to be a hunter.'

Cynder and Sparx raised a brow in surprise, while Hunter nodded with approval.

'That's the true meaning, Spyro,' Hunter said, 'to answer questions about you, rather than hunting or skill.'

Karrina nodded too and returned her attention to Kane.

'Kane; while you're in Warfang, why don't you make yourself useful? I've got a lot of laundry to go through this week...'

The grey llama immediately folded his ears down. 'I've got plenty to do in Warfang already! Just ask Hunter and Snotty here.'

Karrina sighed. 'Well, it's only fair. I need someone to help me with weekly towel-drying... it takes too much out of the weekend. Catering to the needs of cheetahs and dragons alike really adds to the pile.'

'Towel drying?' Spyro piped up, a glint in his eye. 'Wouldn't a wind dragon be better for the job?'

Cynder glanced at him uncertainly as the Atlawa's beady silver eyes brightened with interest.

'Of course! Why didn't I think of that? That would give me a _lot_ more time after closing... do you know any wind dragons, Spyro?'

His eyes shifted to Cynder and he quickly nudged her through the water with his shoulder, sending warm tingles through her own, before she cleared her throat nervously.

'Karrina... Well, I can use wind breath.' She managed a nervous, but eager smile. 'I can help, if you like.'

Karrina smiled and clapped her paws. 'Great! Oh, I should outline the schedule... basically, you'll help me for a couple of hours every Qaros...'

'Qaros?' Cynder echoed cluelessly.

Karrina croaked faintly in response. 'Urgh... Am I the only one in this city who knows the days of the week?'

Hunter frowned curiously. 'I'd imagine moles would. I can only guess that dragons prefer to live on a day-to-day basis rather than weekly – given how long they live.'

Karrina nodded to herself. 'Well, I don't get many moles in here, considering that dragons might squish them at any time...'

Hunter flinched as the sound of fist hitting stone echoed from Snotty's direction on the wall behind him.

'Ey, cheetah! Gimme some room service 'ere!'

'That was _not _part of our agreement, Snotty.'

The Skavenger snickered from the other side. 'So arr bunches of fruit and a harem of lasses! Doesn' mean I don' want 'em!'

'What do you want?' Hunter stated impatiently. 'You've wasted enough of our time already.'

'Get that fetching lass from the counter! The bottom of da pool 'ere is kinda filthy...' Hunter folded his ears back, '–and not from me! There're a buncha black spots, an' a big yellow stain all over the... bottom of the...'

Sparx covered his face in disbelief as Snotty shot out of his cubicle with frightening speed, yelping in visible distress, rushing through the door, leaving nothing but bunches of grey fur, wet stains and his scrappy garments behind him. Hunter was on the verge of bursting into tears as he took off in pursuit, while Kane stared blankly ahead, following Spyro and Sparx's example. Cynder's muzzle tensed with impending laughter.

'Now...' Spyro murmured emptily, '...I wish I really hadn't stopped Malefor...'

* * *

Unfortunately, Hunter and Kane were unable to round Snotty up in time to start training again before it was time for the two dragons to return to their own schedule, though Kane promised to bring them up to speed if they made any progress. Karrina, meanwhile, used a long pole to herd the large crab out of the pool, but decided to let Limpy stick around if it would help her with any shellfish pests in the pools.

Cynder quickly took note of how Spyro's demeanour fell at the current prospect, which she predicted following last night, but it still bothered her regardless. He was normally upbeat about schooling and knowledge, and for them both to know it was the last scheduled class didn't help matters. There was the training to look forward to, at least for her, but the idea of Spyro and Solaris fighting as things stood was not going to end well.

'Cynder?' Spyro gazed at her as they flew. 'You OK?'

Cynder snorted dismissively. 'Am "I" OK? Spyro, you haven't said a word since we said goodbye to the others. Are _you _OK?'

Spyro frowned, but just pointed his snout forward without answering.

_No... he's not._

Spyro deflected her questioning by speeding up his flaps, prompting Cynder to keep up. After a couple of minutes, they were fast approaching the tower balconies again. Cynder couldn't deny it: she was nervous, if only for Spyro's sake.

Surprisingly, they were the first to arrive this time around. Upon arriving and walking through together, Spyro was greeted by several friendly gazes throughout the library level, most of them coming from Earth and Wind dragons, all offering their congratulations on his test. Spyro grinned stiffly to each in turn; it was obvious he was not comfortable with so much attention from so many dragons. Cynder was surprised that some also praised her for her part, even though she hadn't really passed or failed in any way. At least, that's how she saw it.

Stranger still, Volteer seemed quite oblivious to the whole affair as he beamed at their arrival.

'Hello, you two! I heard the voices down below... Is there some sort of gathering or party in the library? If so, it's nice to see Areth loosening up...'

Cynder grinned as she remembered seeing the stiff librarian glaring around at Spyro's audience. 'Not really; if anything, she looked ready to kick them out for the ruckus.'

'Ah... that's a shame. Oh well.' The yellow dragon raised a claw to his scaly muzzle. 'It must be some sort of family gathering or some such. I haven't seen any other Earth or Wind dragons flocking to Warfang despite our scouts' efforts. Ugh! It really is a load in the mouth to use two names instead of one... I really should talk to Terrador and Cyril about this outdated naming convention.'

Spyro managed to drop his stiff countenance and scanned the room, his eyes falling on a new painting hanging overhead the leftmost window of the hall. His eyes widened as he recognised it.

'Volteer! Did you get that from the Skavenger ship?'

Volteer blinked and smiled between the purple dragon and his acquisition – the same painting of the air serpent from Snotty's cabin. 'Such beautiful handiwork, is it not? After my tale of Kunato yesterday, I felt... somewhat obliged to grab it, as I realised I had no depictions of the Electric Patron Himself, despite the drawings of wildlife. Thankfully, Kodar let it go at quite a reasonable price.'

'How much?' Cynder asked.

'Twelve amethysts! Though there's a high probability I upped the price on my end, due to my accidental slippage that the artwork is most likely Mole craftsmanship...'

They were interrupted by the ostensibly high pitch of Sion's laughter and Alaia's gentler tone alongside him. Spyro's brightened demeanour vanished as Solaris followed up behind them silently. Cynder scanned Sion curiously: coating his beefy limbs and shoulders were patches of white ice over his open wounds.

_At least the Ice dragons could help him despite his immunity to the red crystals..._

Sion immediately smiled around at them, betraying no signs of pain or fatigue from last night. He also didn't notice Spyro's piercing gaze shooting past him. 'Morning, Spyro! Cynder! You meet all those dragons downstairs?'

Spyro tightened his muzzle, in an attempt to smile as he shifted his gaze. 'It's _afternoon_, Sion. And...unfortunately, yes.'

Alaia raised a curious brow. 'Huh? You don't like it? But they were all talking about the test! I'd say most Earth and Wind dragons are fans of yours now.

'And...' – Sion grinned proudly – 'some of them patted my back; if you know what I mean.'

'What's got you in such a good mood?' Solaris wondered sourly. 'All this noise is only going to make today more annoying; on top of you, of course.'

Sion tilted his head obliviously as they took their positions. 'Whaddya mean? After today, we can start training! Real stuff that'll be useful! Ooh, I wonder if we'll get that big green guy–'

Solaris hissed in annoyance, cutting him off. 'We'll never get anywhere at this rate. Volteer?'

Volteer gazed at Spyro curiously before his visage brightened again. 'Ah yes. The final... scheduled lesson. Unfortunately, the final one will be relatively... difficult. But after going on that makeshift coming-of-age trial you all went through last night, I believe you are ready for some of these revelations. I will touch on Shadow dragons, Burst dragons, their gods... and the final stages of a dragon's life.'

The last item on that list even perked Sion's interest, though it wasn't the same gleeful mental state as it was for the mating rituals. His gaze faltered a little, and Spyro sensed... a personal stake in getting these answers.

'Shadow dragons?' Cynder murmured, her gaze brushing over Spyro. 'Did they really disappear into Convexity, Volteer?'

'Convexity?' Both Sion and Volteer echoed at the same time, before Volteer nodded in realisation. 'Of course! That is... well, one plausible theory. But unfortunately, Cynder... we don't have any facts about what happened to them – Spyro's dream was the best lead we've had so far. But Spyro's word alone is... well, insufficient to record down as fact.' At Cynder's forlorn expression, he continued hurriedly. 'But I have entered it into my own personal notes. Who knows; it may get published in an official work someday!'

'Wait a minute...' Alaia piped up, staring between them in confusion. 'What're you all talking about? What's convexity? I've never even heard of it.'

Sion nodded silently, fighting the urge to repeat her question. Volteer immediately hurried along an explanation; masking his lowered enthusiasm for the subject.

'Convexity acts an airlock between this world and others... a dark, empty place full of alien creatures and strange floating debris. Unfortunately, this is all the information we have at the moment – mostly taken from Spyro here.' Sion and Alaia glanced over at Spyro with admiration. 'It was a few years ago when he first went there, and apart from the Elraith, nothing new about the realm has come up.'

Sion opened his mouth in abject horror. 'So... Cynder's dragons are all trapped in another world? Will they ever come back?'

Cynder glanced away sadly as Volteer lowered his gaze. 'We do not know, my boy. Our knowledge of Shadow dragons runs just as thin.' He grunted impatiently as if warding off a pest. 'Ugh... this is frustrating. Teaching about subjects upon which I don't have sufficient data... Ah, but it is necessary, I suppose.'

Spyro cleared his throat, glancing sidelong toward Cynder. 'Do you at least have anything to say on their biology?'

Volteer smiled once again. 'Ah! That I can answer! While I could only found a handful of illustrations, I have been able to deduce some reasonable guesses as to how Shadow dragons mature. The most obviously unique physical feature is that faceplate' – Cynder subconsciously raised her gaze to her own forehead – 'that I found developed as one dragon ages. Observing Cynder here, I believe they used it to send signals with natural light. I'm not too sure on this, but I theorise that they cannot roar as loudly as other races, and when travelling in groups, it was needed for the lead dragon to keep the group from scattering. I do believe they prefer to travel at dawn, dusk, and at night – judging from the dark backgrounds of the illustrations.' He procured a small scroll from the pile, then trotted over and placed it open for Cynder to have a look.

Cynder stared down at the drawing in wonder. The parchment contained a rough, but beautiful depiction of an adult shadow dragon on the crest of a cliff, their forehead glowing brightly within the area of their forehead – almost like the speck of a star in the distance.

'Feel free to pass it along, my dear, but please handle it with care!' He fixed Sion with a brief, hard stare. 'It was the only drawing of this ability I could find.'

He returned to his low podium, continuing to describe other physical features of Shadow dragons; including their mostly slim builds, the order of their six horns erupting, and their razor sharp tail blades. After taking a deep breath, and waiting for Alaia to bring Sion back to attention, he reached for another scroll, only to stop short. He stared for a moment, a curious silence entering the room, before he jolted himself out of his momentary stupor.

'Ah! I forgot Vorghala's illustration is one I see every day. Ahem...' He cleared his throat before swiftly glancing around the classroom. 'Has everyone seen the raven god behind the gate?'

One by one, everyone nodded – except Sion, of course, to which Solaris rolled her eyes. Spyro shot her a nasty gaze, but she opted to ignore it.

'Raven what?'

Volteer shrugged and picked up the scroll he'd reached for before, depositing it on Sion's pedestal while collecting the Shadow dragon scroll from Solaris. Spyro and Alaia leaned in to look over his shoulder spikes; to Spyro's disappointment, it was nowhere near the level of detail compared to the one up at the hall.

As he retracted his gaze, he frowned. Something about those eyes made his gut squirm. _Where have I seen that before? Like the Elraith... but so gentle and kind..._

'The raven god...' Volteer sighed longingly. 'If only we had any inkling of his link to the Shadow dragons. What a tale that would be! Ironically, the moles are true patrons of Vorghala's legend, not dragons. Perhaps the Shadow dragons had similar stories, once...'

'Volteer...' Cynder began slowly. 'Tell us.'

Volteer gazed down at her sympathetically, blinking thoughtfully. 'There is... not much to tell, unfortunately. If you would believe it, the only accounts referencing Vorghala pre-date even Malefor – back when moles still wore tribal garments and had only just learned how to scratch out their own language before their culture ultimately melded with ours. Though with our overbearing statures, the small moles fought very hard to preserve their own stories about Vorghala as a symbol of pride – given our extensively taught primal deities.' His muzzle tightened with both fondness and amusement. 'They really do get touchy about it, though. A word of advice: don't call Vorghala anything but a "celestial" deity or those moles will be quick to correct you. And don't even try to call Vorghala a primal deity; Cyril was nearly bitten once!'

'Primal? Celestial?' Solaris repeated apathetically. 'What difference does it make? There's even less evidence regarding Vorghala's existence than that of Thytanis. Maybe the moles just made him up to give themselves their own deity to compensate for their inferiority.'

Several sceptical glances shot her way; though Spyro kept his attention on Volteer as the Electric Guardian twitched his frill cautiously.

'I would not go touting that sort of thing in the streets, my dear. Moles can get riled up very quickly; especially in large numbers.'

Spyro sighed shortly. 'What _did_ the moles say about Vorghala, Volteer?'

'Oh... just folk tales, bedtime stories, ruminating around the campfires... but is still an intriguing set of lore, given that not only moles have sighted Vorghala in the night sky.' His eyes glimmered with wonder as he stared out a large window to his left, scanning the distant horizon. 'Like Thytanis... he's always described as a presence, but more emotional rather than magical.' As Solaris frowned, he shrugged to himself. 'I wouldn't normally put credence in such tales, but after hundreds of years, and indulging in curiosity... I can't deny there is some element of truth to them. There is a certain... energy – a presence – to the dark cosmos that I cannot place.'

'So... what?' Sion asked uncertainly, bracing himself for a hard question. 'You just stare at the stars, and that's Vorghala?'

Volteer turned to him with a steady gaze. 'My boy, some things are only meaningful when you don't have all the answers.'

After a long pause, Solaris shifted in place.

'...Well, that was pointless. The Shadow deity turns out to be little more than a mole folk tale.' She growled impatiently. 'Let's just move on.'

'Burst dragons?' Spyro repeated as he rolled over his notes. 'That sounds like a strange name, Volteer... and I've never heard of them.'

Solaris nodded in his direction, but he didn't acknowledge the gesture. 'Neither have I, and I've practically combed the library from top to bottom. Are they another folk tale, Volteer?'

'Hmm...' Volteer tapped his scaled chin thoughtfully. 'Truthfully, the answer is yes and no. Burst dragons – or other times, Star dragons. We do know that they existed... or exist, given we had one within our ranks within the past decade.'

Everyone but Cynder widened their eyes curiously. Alaia managed to stutter out the first response.

'The Fallen Star? That was a – Dad was telling the truth? Mom and I just thought he was boasting about serving under some legendary dragon...'

Solaris lowered her eyes doubtfully. 'Mhm... but he'd dead, I assume?' Alaia glanced at her and lowered her gaze sadly. 'How convenient. So much for legendary, in that case–'

Spyro growled through clenched teeth. 'Don't disrespect the dead.'

She fell silent, and after a stiff pause, Volteer nodded toward Spyro regretfully.

'I'm afraid she's not entirely incorrect, Spyro. But before that...' He smiled down at Alaia with unbridled curiosity. 'Alaia, my dear, what did your father say about the Fallen Star? If Tython really did serve with him directly... then I am extremely curious to know of his appearance, capabilities – from a firsthand source, if possible. While I know the basics, we Guardians mostly led our own platoons, so none of us had the pleasure of witnessing him in action on the battlefield.'

Alaia exhaled heavily, but Cynder grinned to herself; it seemed the olive dragoness was getting used to Volteer putting her on the spot, and wasn't so nervous about it anymore.

'Well... first off, he was huge... or he seemed like it, since Dad talked about how big his wings were. They were also a weird shape... if most dragons have wedge-shaped wings, then his wings were more like... two rectangles? Or a small rectangle and a fat wedge?' She scratched her snout uncomfortably. 'I'm surprised Dad even bothered to study them that much.'

Sion examined her eagerly. 'Come on, keep going! He sounds so cool! What did his horns look like? What colour was he?'

'Oh! He was white.' She twitched her muzzle fondly. 'Dad mentioned that he mistook his colour as a handicap or birth defect... and his horns were also weird. They were more like... antlers, like an elk's, rather than a dragon's. Though they were still just as hard, as he apparently skewered Apes with them just like everyone else.'

Cynder pictured a big white dragon impaling Gaul in such a manner; it brought her a mixture of dread and cathartic satisfaction blending in her stomach, making her muzzle twist. Spyro stared for a moment before she righted herself, glancing away shiftily.

'And...' – she grinned half-dreamily – 'well, he reluctantly admitted the general had a very nice body...'

Sion stared at her silently for a few seconds. 'Uh... Alaia? I, um... didn't know Tython rolled that way.'

Spyro raised a brow curiously as Alaia groaned softly. 'Rolled... what?'

'Ahem!' Volteer raised his voice shrilly. 'Alaia, can you please describe his magic?'

'Magic?' Alaia blinked. 'I... don't remember any mention of that.' Several glanced in Sion's direction for a moment, who was listening raptly.

Volteer kept his gaze fixated on her. 'You mean to say he couldn't use magic?'

Alaia shook her head as she glanced sidelong at Sion while she spoke. 'No, it's just... he didn't seem to use any. Dad wasn't sure why. That made many question him as a general... but he was really strong, and that's why he was chosen. He could wear very thick armour without it slowing him down much, and he killed a lot of the bigger apes by crushing their skulls in his claws. After Dad and the other soldiers witnessed him in action for a few battles, they followed without question.'

Solaris cut in sharply. 'Volteer, is there a point to this? How could you, a Guardian, know less about this so-called Star dragon than Tython: a mere soldier under his wing?' She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 'Did you just draft him into your army as a general without knowing his leadership capabilities?'

Volteer gazed back with an uncharacteristic frown. 'We did many things we weren't proud of – desperate times called for desperate measures. He was powerful and well respected among our elders from the very beginning... and like Alaia here surmised, the younger ones were quickly drawn to him as well.'

'Then why was he so respected in the first place?' Cynder asked guardedly. 'What made these... elders so confident in his abilities?' She thought back to her discussion with Tytus; dread coiling in her stomach. 'He used light magic, didn't he?'

Volteer nodded in subdued surprise as he scanned her sadly. 'Yes... unfortunately, we believed in some naive notion that his magic would turn the tide of battle. Apes, back then, were no more vulnerable to Burst magic than cheetahs or moles were. After our defeat, we were separated...' He sighed, heartbreak evident in his gentle thrumming. 'By the time his unit came out of hiding, he was gone. That's why I wanted... to hear it... What could have driven him to such an end...'

Cynder inwardly cringed, but something... spurned her on to confront her fears, her doubts – and her responsibility.

'Me. I... it's my fault. I killed him.'

Volteer only raised a scaled brow at her, and it was clear in his eyes he didn't truly believe her. Spyro also stared at her with sympathy mixed in with curious scepticism.

'That's not what I heard, Cynder,' Volteer recited, his growl devoid of enthusiasm. 'He blamed himself for the deaths of his soldiers. He was too young, and seeing so much death changed something in him. He wasn't ready, and we thrust him into war without any regard for his wellbeing or the consequences of losing the only known Burst dragon in existence. Now... we may never see one again. Yet another noble soul lost to this madness...'

'... And he died,' Cynder began, 'because he wouldn't kill me?'

As Volteer nodded slowly, her heart sinking again. 'Killing murderous Apes with their allegiance set is one thing; killing an innocent dragoness in clear pain under a dark influence is quite another. He swore he'd save as many lives as possible in return for those he failed... including yours.'

_And how many other noble souls did I kill? Even if Tytus said otherwise..._

Cynder lowered her gaze to the stone beneath her claws. 'Maybe he should have killed me. To try and save me – the last Star dragon...' She shook her head. 'The price was too high.'

Spyro shifted firmly and touched his palm to her shoulder. 'Don't say that, Cynder.' As she looked back at him, she stared into his violet eyes, firm in their belief – defiant to the end. 'Don't _ever _say that.'

They held their pose for a moment before Cynder managed to smile gratefully, lowering her head. Spyro nodded and returned to his position as the others looked on, mostly with approval.

'He's right, Cynder. It was his decision to make, not yours.' Volteer sighed sadly. 'I wish things had turned out differently sometimes, but the last thing we want to do now is tell dragons how to live; or how to die. But...'

_How dragons die... _Spyro's chest tightened instinctively; he quickly knew what Volteer had meant by "difficult." Did he really want to hear this?

_I have to... Being ignorant won't help anyone._

Cynder examined him worriedly before his vision cleared, and she nodded. 'We're ready, Volteer.'

The Guardian glanced around at the other three, who also nodded.

'Very well... How a dragon dies links directly to how their energy – primal or celestial – returns to the planet itself. Or, depending on interpretation, return to the cosmos.'

He closed his eyes, as if picturing all the elements, their essences flowing around, dispersing, shimmering, waxing and waning with mana.

'All dragons contain one or more types of energy within them, and under ideal circumstances, their essence is released upon death, flowing back to the element's source. No one truly knows where each element originated, but the effects on the land have varied to help explain where the energy ends and dissipates. Old age doesn't truly dictate the end of our lives... It is our will that determines whether we live or die.'

'So...' Spyro spoke up, 'we can live long past a thousand years, if we want to?'

Volteer nodded. 'Indeed, but who truly wishes to live that long? Few do, whether it be through witnessing war, loss of loved ones, or simple physical impairment – most are ready to rest after a thousand. And those that pass away on their own terms rest in peace, allowing the land to flourish as magic flows through it as it always did.'

Solaris scowled darkly. 'Let me guess... when dragons are killed, the opposite happens.'

Volteer fell silent for a moment as all eyes on him became downcast. 'It is the true reason behind our loss to the Apes. They couldn't win through brute force, intelligence, or tactics... but they decimated our race through a combination of sheer numbers and attrition, and preying on our weakness – our affinity for magic. When killed, our essence is unprepared; the flow is stifled and snuffed out. The magic just... ceases to be.'

Volteer frowned, disquiet evident in his yellow eyes. 'The more dragons that died in a region, the more the land died with them. The more dragons that fought on such battlefields, the weaker they became. It hearkens back to our discussion of Concurrent Skies, in a way... but in this case, dragons themselves acted as magical focal points.' He opened his wings, gesturing around the room despondently. 'Warfang, Avalar, and its landscape – is our last sanctuary from this magical curse; the last known region to us capable of supporting dragon life – and hopefully for us to rebuild. Almost... everywhere else... is...'

He just shook his head, unable to continue.

_Dead._

Spyro shook his head in disbelief, similarly silent as he narrowed his brow, staring down at his pedestal, the words blurring as his shoulders shook instinctively. _Malefor... The Apes... What have they done..._

His vision flickered for a moment, whisked back to a now-distant, but familiar memory. He was standing on the stone lookout of the dragon temple, with Ignitus, staring out at a silent, dry landscape – Sparx's fluttering glimmer at the edge of his vision. A dead, silent land, where there should have been life...

_**What happened here...?**_

Solaris' muzzle tensed stiffly, her managing to speak up through the silence.

'That would explain why my people never numbered above a hundred or so. We rarely die in battle, but many deaths are not from old age, either.' She fixed Volteer with a hard gaze. 'Does this affect birth rates as well?'

Volteer nodded as he turned his attention to the others. 'You are all aware of our tradition? The Year of the Dragon?' As they nodded, he folded his wings inward as he thought back. 'In the Dragon Temple, the eggs wouldn't be safe when so many of their parents were out fighting. But without a magic source nearby – that would normally be their parents – they couldn't have hatched. They can survive many years without it as they awaited one, but... if it never came, the eggs would die.'

'The Year of the Dragon was established under the notion that the eggs could feed off of each other and hatch that way, and if possible, have one of their parents take them and raise them away from the battlefield. Some would even take hatchlings that weren't theirs, if their parents were killed. Eventually, this backfired on us, and upon your generation.'

Sympathy flowed through Spyro and Cynder, as Volteer lowered his head in shame.

'The Apes found us, and though we killed many of them... we couldn't manoeuvre within the Temple Halls. We were trapped, helpless as those brutes destroyed all of the eggs, barring Cynder's.' He fixed Spyro and Cynder with renewed admiration. 'It's almost a wonder you two are alive and well now, given what you went through before you even hatched...'

Spyro and Cynder turned to gaze at each other for a few moments, before Solaris pushed the topic further.

'So, Warfang is the last true stronghold where Guardian dragons can safely breed...' She frowned to herself. 'You had better go to all lengths to keep it safe, then.'

Volteer finally let himself brighten up a little. 'Ah, well, Cyril and Terrador are far better-versed in region security than I am. Thankfully, most of the grublins from the War seem to have disappeared – or destroyed when the Destroyer almost completed its round trip. Hmm, I suppose you would call that a silver lining to what that monstrosity conjured up.'

Solaris tightened her muzzle sceptically, but didn't speak further. Volteer tightened his brow before he spoke.

'Death, in either case, removes our essence and magic from the world in due time. However... another case makes both seem a blessing in comparison.'

'A fate worse than death?' Cynder wondered, dread coating her muzzle. 'How is that possible?'

Volteer shook his head, more to himself than anywhere else. 'Wielding magic like we do has drawbacks, not only for the land and others around us, but on our minds as well. If there's enough trauma or magical severing to a dragon, the consequences can be severe. Dragons can lose their sanity if pushed far enough; but unlike the other races, we've never been able to come back from it.'

'So insanity is permanent,' Solaris summarised.

'... If you would call it that. But when a dragon descends into madness, they become too much of a threat to leave alive... it breaks our hearts, but many casualties of war were such victims, and we had to put them out of their misery before they do any real damage.'

'There's no way to save them?' Spyro asked miserably. 'What causes it – apart from war? And what damage?'

'The most common cause is... when a dragon's mate is killed,' Volteer's murmured, his eyes dimming with the statement. 'While I say "common", that is hardly the case. Most grieve, but don't lose their minds – so long as they have other dragons around them to help them. But when they're alone, and have no one else close to them... madness is sometimes inevitable. Being among other dragons is pointless if they were all strangers without any connection. However, I haven't found more than a few confirmed cases in my library, or the archives. All of those insane dragons either died when the Dark Master's Apes encountered them, or sought out by us Guardians and killed as mercifully as possible. We preferred to leave them alone, but when their presence endangers our allies, they leave us no choice. Especially after the incidents when we tried to help them.'

Solaris narrowed her brow. 'Such as?'

'The unfortunate dragon, when confronted, always reacts with hostility when a dragon of sufficient size approaches them.' Volteer's eyes fell to the floor. 'Our old friend, Ignitus... he caught some nasty scars from one such dragon. He was little more than a very, very dangerous animal. We had to flee to keep Ignitus alive, and that's when we knew they were beyond saving.' He eyed Solaris, shuddering as he recalled another, distant event, but didn't voice it.

Spyro eyed Cynder worriedly as he rolled the possibilities through his head. _So the Skavenger cargo ship... Was it one of these dragons? Or the Elraith?_ _If it was a dragon, surely they would have done something about it by now..._

'Are there any left? If all of that's true then caves, mountains, forest groves – could all be dangerous.'

Volteer nodded in agreement. 'Indeed, but if such a mad dragon were alive, our scouts would be able to detect their presence. Just one look into their eyes, even from a distance, gives away their condition. Or if they're out in the open, the way they hunt, even the way they fly. And the eyes...Horrible, horrible slits...'

Solaris eyed Volteer as he shivered momentarily. 'Volteer! Unless there's any known cases around here that we should know about – get on with it.

The electric Guardian glanced at her and steeled himself, clearing his throat. His expression then brightened a little. 'And relating to this is why we found hope, however brief, in the Fallen Star's existence. For the Burst dragons, while unable to heal those that were lost... they helped unify our races when the need was most dire.' Volteer's brow drew into an awed gaze. 'Along with bringing their own faith... a white phoenix called Archeon.'

He paused as everyone wordlessly invited him to continue.

'You see, the existence of any Burst dragons at all was seen as a gift from the gods, as the Burst dragons themselves preached the existence of Archeon to add to our pantheon. They were unaffected by the magical curse that plagued the rest of us, and their presence... somehow bolstered our courage, pushing us to fight harder – even when they weren't near. If any single dragon race would be called heroic, it was them.'

_Pfft... Heroic, and dead... _Solaris hissed to herself bitterly.

'When the first Burst dragon demonstrated such ability after several battles, some of the more wary dragons began to notice and directly confronted her about it. She denied nothing, and instead attributed the morale and courage emanating from her as Archeon's influence. Archeon – a phoenix goddess glowing like the sun. The way she described it, was like the phoenix roamed the cosmos, took notice of our planet's dire situation, and sent her vassals to help us.'

'I imagine just saying it wasn't enough...' Spyro murmured. 'What happened to her?'

Volteer met his gaze and inclined his head knowingly. 'She... eventually fell in battle, sacrificing herself so one of our large armies could escape an Ape trap. That was the last real record I could find on Burst dragons... the first, in ancient times, and last – dying with us.'

Sion shook his head longingly. 'That's... sad... They could help others, but couldn't help themselves. Why?'

Volteer shook his head, tinged with a hint of frustration. 'We don't truly know. However, it is very likely they were made priority targets during the wars, due to their abilities. They also stood out with their colouring – and often didn't hide from their enemies; preferring direct confrontation. I also couldn't find anything on how Burst dragons reproduced, or if they ever did at all. Unfortunately, the Fallen Star had no memory of any parents or his early years. If we had more time, maybe we would have found enough to save them...'

A long silence followed, and without another word, Volteer began to gather his scrolls, illustrations and personal notes into his own leatherbark basket. As everyone else did the same, Spyro and Cynder lingered as they slowly began to put their notes away as well, still processing the new information.

'I hope you're time with me has given you something...' Volteer spoke slowly, 'well, important. It truly was a pleasure to teach again, after so many years.' He managed to crack a smile. 'Cyril and Terrador are technically responsible for organising your training, but as things stand, they won't be ready until next week. Hopefully, with my assistance, we can speed things along a little...' He glanced over at Sion, who went from disappointed to excited in an instant. 'Your education is not done, yet, of course! Hopefully I'll see you all again in the training dome, or back here if you request further lessons! Nothing would bring me greater pleasure.'

He and Cynder quickly glanced between Spyro and Solaris; Sion and Alaia had begun filing out together. Neither of the lingering dragons looked at each other, staring at their own pedestals. Then Spyro turned around.

'Cynder, I'll see you back at home, OK?'

Cynder nodded silently as he crept along; his hesitant footsteps betraying a desire to turn right back around. But he stayed on his course and slid down the stairs with a flick of his tail. Solaris stared after him hotly, before following after waiting a few moments.

Cynder looked after the scene with sorrow; Volteer with confusion.

'Cynder?' He murmured cluelessly. 'Did something happen between those two?'

She sighed. 'You could say that.' She turned back to him; the Guardian walking up to her and glancing down curiously. 'You heard about our test yesterday, right?'

Volteer beamed. 'Indeed! I heard Spyro passed with flying colours in a way that hasn't been seen for... well many years!'

'Well, you didn't hear about Solaris, then.'

Volteer blinked, raising a claw as he put two-and-two together. 'Oh... oh dear. My two best students, divided by morals. It would be an understatement to say I did not foresee this.'

Cynder shook her head, Spyro's silence and deflections up till now still fresh in her mind. 'It's like Spyro's a completely different dragon around her! Even when he thinks about her! It's not right, Volteer. It's not _him._'

'Hmm... but what _is_ Spyro, my dear?'

Cynder stared back as she processed the question, several words and images flashing through her head. _The purple dragon? A hero? A fire dragon? Smart? Handsome? Sparx's brother? My... future mate? Solaris' enemy? Or..._

'...My friend,' she spoke, suddenly certain, Volteer nodding with vehement approval.

'Exactly! And friends try and help each other, correct?'

'Of course they... I do!'

'Then think: how best can you help Spyro? Or perhaps Solaris?'

_Or both. _She understood how they both felt, and right now they were both confused. _Spyro has gotten more certain of himself, but in the process became wary and uncertain of Solaris all over again. She... well, she did seem ashamed, but is trying to hide it now. I should have a talk with them both, along with a few others..._

She smiled, glad again to be given a purpose. 'Thanks, Volteer. You know, I never thought of you as a... people-person? People-dragon?' She touched her claw uncertainly but smiled as Volteer chuckled.

'Even I have problems with that term, Cynder.'

She frowned curiously. 'The Earth and Wind dragons seemed to be a bit upset at Solaris too. Volteer – are you upset? At the way Solaris failed?'

Volteer tightened his muzzle uncomfortably. 'It is not my place to judge, young dragoness. Only accept. However, a concise but relevant phrase I'll put to you – the ruthless are valued and praised in times of strife and war, but spurned in times of peace.'

She rolled the phrase over in her head, gazing up at him with renewed clarity. He smiled and pointed his head to the stairs.

'You run along now, Cynder. I wish you the best of luck.'

She nodded eagerly and sped down the stairs, almost forgetting to take her notes. However, just a few turns out from the staircase, she spotted Spyro waiting behind the stone library counter, eyeing the busy Areth expectantly as Cynder approached.

'Spyro? What's going on?'

He turned and smiled warmly at her. 'I was just thinking about you and Karrina – so I had Areth make this for you.'

Cynder watched as he gently scooped the stiffened leatherbark and held it in one claw, showing a column of moon charts with names printed cleanly to their right. She smiled brightly.

'The days of the week! You shouldn't have...'

She swiped it eagerly and slid it in with her notes, Spyro shrugging modestly. 'It isn't much...'

She cut him off by pushing her snout into his, firmly but gently, and he growled happily to return the gesture, the two dragons rocking their bodies gently back and forth.

_That's the Spyro I know and love..._

Areth gazed at the two for a long, tense moment.

'Please keep public displays of affection out of the library!'


	18. Training Day

Chapter 17

Training Day

* * *

Cynder's days into the weekend were both the best and worst of her time in Warfang so far. On one claw, she looked forward to waking up and seeing Spyro's bright and handsome face every morning, and even Sparx's irritating quips were becoming tolerable, if not outright welcome. Sion and Alaia showed up often to join them, as she and Spyro explored Warfang on occasion – and even joined them for several hunts. When Spyro reminded her to check in with Karrina, the few hours helping with sorting and drying the bathhouse' laundry were surprisingly relaxing as Karrina gossiped about some of her guests during the week – the zany Atlawa focusing on the dragons with intense awe. As the following days went by, she could say with confidence she was where she belonged.

And yet she couldn't stave off her feelings of unease even on the quiet evenings. She tried to encourage Spyro to seek out Volteer for further lessons, but he calmly insisted he was happy enough cycling through borrowed books. She could tell he was lying, in that way his eyes darkened at the mention of Volteer, in the way he pulled his wings in defensively as if warding off an attack – even if it was only for a moment.

The mornings were the worst. Often she would hear the beating of wings in the distance, from outside the city walls, and whether from her own memories of Malefor's slave or Malefor himself, she jolted out of sleep, wide awake, and crept up to the balcony to observe. Most days, a scouting party made up of all elements was returning, their gazes ashen and downcast, even if they had brought in new dragon survivors. Sometimes, other dragons were waiting on the central platform for them, only for their heads and wings to droop listlessly as the scout leader spoke to them softly. She watched from afar, but didn't investigate; without knowing if she might have had something to do with it, she thought it best to leave them alone. Spyro joined her after a couple of such mornings, easing her sorrow with his presence, but still compounded her unease. It wasn't until the day before their training – when Terrador and Clauk were two of the unfortunate dragons awaiting news on the platform – that she realised the new arrivals didn't include any Wind or Earth dragons. For every dragon whose spirits brightened as they were reunited with a loved one, there were too many who left the platform alone, grief exhumed with every step and each flap of their heavy wings.

Spyro was with her on their wide stone balcony as they watched Terrador fly up heavily, seemingly exhausted by a similar sense of unease. He caressed her gently with his wing on hers as she watched, her muzzle trembling with both frustration and sadness.

'We should try and take it easy today, Cynder. Our training begins tomorrow, after all.' He turned around to head back inside, pausing to look back at her when she didn't follow.

'I just need some time, Spyro.' She tried to smile. 'You go back to sleep.'

As soon as she couldn't hear his steps anymore, she sighed heavily.

_We beat Malefor, and yet... I'm still being reminded of him and what he's done..._

The rational part of her head beat down these thoughts until she frowned. _That only means I have to try harder. The Guardian dragons need all the help they can get. I could talk to Terrador... maybe he'll be training us tomorrow._

As if on cue, she heard the glittering buzz of a dragonfly coming up the steps. As Sparx eyed her indignantly with small bags under his eyes, she couldn't help but grin a little.

'What's with you dragons?' He grumbled. 'It's impossible to sleep properly with you two stomping around early every morning.'

Her grin fading a little, she pointed her head back up as she watched several Earth and Wind dragons landing in the Earth District in the distance, their beating wings obvious even over the dividing walls. 'We were just... checking to see the scouts' progress.'

Sparx glanced over to the same dragons, his blue eyes softening. 'I guess so... But you two are beating yourself up, you know? Spyro hasn't even smiled since that last lesson you guys had. It's not your fault, Cynder, or his.' He huffed to himself. 'I've tried to tell him that, but he doesn't really answer.'

_He must be thinking on Solaris' lecture in our first lesson with her._

Cynder shook her head, eager to change the subject – she didn't want her entire last day off to be so depressing. She frowned thoughtfully, trying to think about what to do about her peers.

_Solaris just acts like she always does, defensive and stubborn. Or throwing me out if I overstay my welcome. But Spyro's off... and maybe that's why I'm off too. I don't know how to deal with him like this. Maybe his brother does...?_

Sparx eyed her flatly. 'Why is that every time I'm on a balcony I get interrogated by a dragon?'

'What?'

He waved a hand dismissively toward the Starlight Towers. 'Oh, just Spyro grilling me about you the night you ran away. Remember? I sure do – our Big Purple was tenser then than he is now about miss Doubtfire over there.'

Cynder felt her chest tighten. _He already cared that much?_

'I wanted to talk to you about Spyro, actually. And mi-Solaris.'

Sparx raised a brow. 'What about them? I think it's an improvement! Now I don't have to worry about being burnt to a crisp if I wanna hang out with Spyro.'

'But didn't you notice how tense Spyro is?' She narrowed her eyes, more to herself than to provoke a response. 'It's not right.'

'Hey, nothing's perfect-'

'Sparx!'

He groaned submissively. 'OK, OK – what did ya wanna know?'

She hesitated as she formed the words in her throat. 'Did... Spyro ever get this upset before? Before all the business with me, I mean.'

Sparx frowned sadly. 'You could say that... but it was years ago, and I'd rather not talk about it. We're both a little... well...'

Cynder bit back her first question, trying not to be too forceful. 'Was it that bad?'

The dragonfly folded his arms, his expression unchanged. 'Not as bad as what we just saw out here, I guess. Still, Spyro didn't want to talk about it ever again. But if it helps him...'

Cynder nodded encouragingly. 'It will – I promise.'

'Well... alright.' Sparx relaxed and opened his arms, though he furrowed his brow worriedly. 'Before our "business with you," there wasn't really anyone else apart from our parents. So... his problem was with me – a couple of years before we found Ignitus.'

Cynder sat herself down on the stone balcony, warming with the rising sun as the dragonfly continued.

'First thing you need to know about dragonflies; we are pretty weak.' Cynder snorted. 'Well, what do you expect?' He replied indignantly. 'When even the plants are bigger and tougher than we are, there's not much to work with. It's why we don't live anywhere apart from really dense forests or swamps – otherwise we'd get eaten real quick.'

'Anyway, we have a caste system.' He counted on one hand. 'We have the farmer caste, warrior caste, and scout caste. Technically, our Mom and Dad were scouts, but after they adopted Spyro, they didn't move around as much...' He grinned to himself. 'For obvious reasons.'

Cynder nodded; she recalled Spyro telling her about their parents in her few weeks in the temple.

'Well, with all his purpleness and heaviness, Spyro was pretty much set for being in the warrior caste.' Sparx grinned fondly. 'But you know me; I'd rather just drift to whatever role I wanted. Though, neither of us was old enough to have enough experience in anything to decide. Spyro did a pretty good job of chasing off any of the...' –he grimaced uncomfortably– 'hungry wildlife that found our little hamlet.

'Most dragonflies in the swamp were still around then, but... they were scared of Spyro. They were nice enough not to say it to his face, but Spyro was obviously not a dragonfly. That should have helped him become a warrior... but every time Spyro tried to get into training, he was rejected. Mom and Dad wouldn't tell him why... though I pretty much said they didn't like purple. Might have been right.

'You need to understand that being a warrior was the only viable future for Spyro... assuming he'd always be a dragonfly. He was too big and clumsy to be a good explorer in the tight swamp plants, and he damaged our farm plants more than he helped them.

'Anyway, after about nine or ten times, the chief in charge or the whole caste was finally willing to give Spyro a chance, after Mom and Dad gave him a serious talking to. The catch? Basically everyone except for us was going to move – the swamp had become too dangerous for us dragonflies. I guess the dragons not being around had something to do with that...

'Since Spyro couldn't fly, the chief would only be willing to slow the whole neighbourhood down if Spyro was the best warrior ever. After a few weeks – none of them even tried to dispute that. So Spyro, and everyone but me, Mom and Dad were packed and ready to go.'

Cynder raised her brow. 'And you were okay with this?'

Sparx rubbed his head sheepishly. 'No... not really. I loved the swamp and how things were, and despite Spyro's faults, he was still my brother. I thought about joining them... but I didn't want to leave Mom and Dad alone. And neither of us knew why they wanted to stay... They could've come too.' He glanced sidewards at some wandering dragons. 'Maybe they wanted to stick around to see if the dragons would come back. They never told us that part, anyway.

'Spyro was ready quickly, but... he was sad too. Happy that he would be make something of himself, but sad about leaving.' Sparx frowned solemnly. 'I didn't stick around to say goodbye when they left. I couldn't. After that... the swamp was a lot colder and emptier, and I was pretty miserable about the whole thing.

'A couple of days later, things were going belly-up for us. Without Spyro around to do the heavy lifting, things got out of hand quickly. Storm clouds were actually dangerous again, since us three couldn't keep all the holes in our house plugged up. It was...' He groaned with disgust. 'It was pretty bad, being covered in mud and dirt for days on end. But after another day or two... Spyro was back.' He grinned to himself. 'Also covered in mud.

'We barely talked or said hello; the four of us put everything into saving our house. We only managed to save half of it by the time the storm had passed... and after days of exhausting labour, mud, and a smelly dragon, you know what I said to him?' He sighed. 'I said he shouldn't have come back, if he wanted to be a warrior so much to leave us behind.'

Cynder pulled a face, and the dragonfly threw his arms up. 'It was a stupid thing to say, and I didn't really mean it. But I said it.'

'Was he angry?'

Sparx just shook his head. 'I almost wish he was. It would have been something! He just got real quiet and didn't look at me.' He frowned shamefully. 'And yet he still helped us pick up the pieces and covered us with his wings while we slept. By the time we finished, I felt pretty disgusted with myself... but couldn't muster a word of apology.'

Cynder inwardly smiled, just picturing Spyro curled up with his dragonfly family.

Sparx relaxed and managed to smile as well. 'It took Dad to putting his foot down... uh... well, straightening us out. He called us out on acting like children... Which is kinda funny, since we were only ten.'

'It took a couple of weeks before we were talking like brothers again. I never exactly apologised... but I told him how much I'd missed him – and he said that's why he came back, because he missed us too much as well.'

Cynder smiled as well, and the two sat in silence as they watched the Sun fully bathe Warfang in warm colours, as well as the resident dragons all waking up for business as usual.

'That's... a nice story, Sparx, but it doesn't exactly help with him and Solaris now.'

Sparx clapped a hand to his forehead. 'Oookay, first off – are you SURE you want them on talking terms? Like I said, I'm happy with–'

'Yes.'

He glanced at her flatly. 'Are you SURE?'

Cynder frowned. 'Again... yes!'

'Because if I end up a fried mosquito snack, I'm gonna hold it against you...'

Cynder smirked. 'Maybe you just need to watch your mouth around her.'

'That's a tall order, Cynder.' He sighed. 'OK, then... Just how mad was he?'

'Mad enough to hit her.'

Sparx's jaw dropped. 'Uhh... while I've wanted to do the same, Spyro's _never _been that angry. He's not mad at you too, is he?'

She rolled her eyes. 'And here I thought you paid attention... Spyro was just with me a few minutes ago. We're fine... but he does get quiet when I mention Solaris or having more lessons with Volteer.'

'Huh.' Sparx cupped his chin. 'Well, Dad got through to him by using an argument he couldn't dispute. Basically that Spyro couldn't be a warrior; that he made his decision when he travelled so far on foot just to see if we were safe. And that we should stop wasting our childhood being angry with each other.'

Cynder raised her brow thoughtfully. 'That's... something, at least.' She smiled and shifted her gaze to the sky again. 'Thanks, Sparx.'

He glanced around shiftily as he prepared to move. 'Just... uh, don't mention our discussion to Spyro, alright? It's actually pretty embarrassing for both of us.'

Cynder rolled her eyes. 'I promise you won't get hurt, Sparx – especially not from being fried. But I might need to mention it to Spyro if I'm to use that so-called infallible argument to convince him.'

Sparx groaned, but didn't argue. '...Alright. Good luck with your training, or whatever. Don't count on me to stick around for it, though.' He inwardly cringed as images of flying electricity and ice came to mind – him nearly getting incinerated just by being in the same room.

* * *

After receiving a message from Tython directing them to the training dome the next morning, Spyro, Cynder and Sparx were itching to get something done after the past few days of doing pretty much nothing. As the time flew by, they were once again standing before the dome's entrance – Cynder's stomach was squirming and her throat was dry and tight. Spyro, on the other hand, seemed perfectly calm, despite the hardness in his gaze. Sparx gave them one short glance before zooming in through the archway toward the distant figures waiting for them.

'Spyro...'

'Hm?'

She found the words difficult to form, though she felt she had to say _something_.

She eyed the blue dragoness in the distance. 'Whatever happens in our training, promise you won't let your feelings get in the way.'

He turned his head to smile at her, but his violet eyes were still unwaveringly hard. 'You don't have to worry about me, Cynder.'

She frowned instantly as he trudged forward. _If I don't, who will? Only Sparx, maybe...the only other one who truly knew you is gone._

Sion was the first to greet them – again, with a smile. Somehow, they predicted he would be the first to arrive for this class. Cyril, Terrador and Volteer were also standing tall around the younger dragons of their class, beckoning them in encouragingly. The enormous figures didn't diminish the scale of the room; the larger dragons could easily watch from the sidelines and still have a full arena for several other adult dragons in the middle. Cynder suddenly felt very small as she glanced up and around the room.

Sion broke the silence as soon as Spyro and Cynder joined the group surrounding the central conduit, the setup reminding them of a campfire.

'They're finally here! What are we gonna do first? Will we get weapons? Will I get my own armour? And–'

Sparx cleared his throat. 'You might want to look at the big blue dragon...'

Cyril's eyes were narrowed impatiently as Sion fell silent. 'Thank you, Sparx.' He sighed. 'It's about time you two arrived. Another second of Volteer and young Sion babbling would have split my skull open.'

Volteer fanned his wings with excitement. 'Ah, but it's been so long since we've used a fire conduit! The moles really outdid themselves this time.' His smile faltered a little. 'Ignitus would have loved this.'

'Fire conduit? Where?'

At Spyro's curious enquiry, Terrador grinned and subtly shifted his weight. Layers of stone beneath their claws grinded roughly, and the electric podium descended into the ground. Volteer pointed his snout upwards – and only now did Spyro and Cynder notice large, shallow depressions in the four corner walls separating the side rooms. Volteer projected an electric arc, lighting a thin crystal within the second-from-the-left depression from the entrance. After a couple of seconds, the crystal flashed and filled yellow; the electric conduit sliding to the side to an unseen underground compartment. The electric Guardian eyed the depression left of the entrance, but cleared his throat with embarrassment.

'Ahem... Spyro, or Solaris – activate that Fire switch, if you will?'

Solaris obliged instantly, launching a small blue fire missile over their heads, lighting the next crystal with a crimson hue. Sion and Alaia stared at their feet in amazement as another pedestal slid to the centre and rose to where the Electric Orb had been before.

The Diamond crystal was odd and irregular compared to the electric sphere. Instead of a full round orb, it was a hollowed out shell that reminded Cynder of the scaffolding used in construction. She ran through a list of comparisons in her head and the most fitting term to describe it was a "diamond gyroscope".

Spyro stared at the jagged, messy structure with bewilderment; the moles had purposely designed it that way to more effectively absorb and disperse fire magic. The Fire conduit looked inactive, however – a glinting, translucent grey. He quickly felt drawn to the object and stepped forward, but Solaris was the first to touch it.

Ignoring the gazes around her, including Volteer's enthusiastic grin, she rose up on her hind legs and positioned her claws wide on either side of the orb. The air surrounding the orb flickered; the stone subtly shifting into different colours of the spectrum. Solaris retracted her claws as everyone shied away from the energy, watching it approach a shade of blue, before fading back to a gentle yellow hue.

'While I applaud your enthusiasm, Solaris...' Terrador began, 'your elemental training has not yet begun.' He glanced around at the assembled youngsters one by one. 'We have yet to determine any fighting styles you may have, and what kind of elemental training would suit you.'

Solaris narrowed her eyes as her gaze shifted to Sion. 'And for those without an element?'

Terrador furrowed his heavy brow. 'Elemental training is more than just firing at targets, Solaris. Even young Sion will find something useful in it – of that much, I am certain.'

The blue dragoness simply frowned and retreated to her original position, while Sion nodded up at the Earth Guardian gratefully. Volteer cleared his throat again.

'Ahem... can we clear the arena floor?'

Spyro launched his own fire missile, lowering the fire conduit, and after a few seconds below ground, the hole in the floor closed over with a stone lid.

'Now, onto business.' Cyril examined everyone in turn with an appraising look – starting with Spyro and Cynder, whom he regarded confidently, then Alaia, where he was not so certain, to Sion and Solaris – with evident fascination. 'Volteer has already told us of your rather unique fighting style, Solaris. I hope we are not invading some Magma code of conduct by noting your techniques?'

She pulled her muzzle sideways. 'I couldn't care less.'

Cyril's eyes widened for a moment. '... I see.' He turned to gaze down at Sion. 'As for you, I would assume you take after your mother's fighting style?'

Sion nodded nervously. 'Yes, Cyril sir... but half the things she teaches me don't work so well.' He shifted his shoulders, glancing at his elbow spikes awkwardly. 'Since she doesn't have these things...'

Terrador gazed down at him curiously. 'I would be quite interested to see your fighting style, incorporating those unique assets. I don't believe I've ever seen a dragon with elbow spikes.'

Cyril cleared his throat. 'The first thing to do with your training is to pit you against each other in mock duels. We will supervise and intervene when necessary, but we expect you all to exercise the proper level of restraint for your fellow trainees. Since we're just beginning, no magic should be used.' He turned his head slowly and met them with a cold gaze. 'At the same time, we do not want you to hold back. Surface wounds are acceptable, as we have a couple of healing crystals in the room opposite Terrador.' The youngsters all glanced to the right, relaxing a little at the glow of green and red. 'Today's aim is to get a good impression of your overall style and capabilities. As for who will fight whom...' He frowned, his gaze fixed forward thoughtfully. 'We three have decided it best to pit Spyro against all of you, one by one.'

Spyro immediately raised a brow. 'Cyril, is this just because I'm the purple dragon? If so... why? I can use four elements, but I'm pretty sure I don't use four fighting styles.'

Cynder tightened her muzzle thoughtfully. She definitely saw a certain style in their fighting together, but as for what it was or where it came from, she had no idea. She'd always used what felt natural and most effective; but now it's possible she had adapted it from somewhere. _Malefor? I hope not... But then again, he at least he gave me something useful._

The Guardians glanced between each other for a moment, before Volteer spoke. 'We meant no offense, my boy, but you do take after the Fire style – no doubt adapted from your early days with Ignitus. And it's because of that we want you to test everyone else.' He lowered his head respectfully. 'The Fire style is the most balanced and versatile style and the most appropriate... as certain styles, such as Earth and Electricity, would not provide a good learning experience compared to Fire. Not to mention that it _is_ a highly malleable base to start from,' –he glanced over the three other young dragons– 'if you haven't got your own style yet.'

Spyro nodded in understanding. 'Alright. We will get breaks, though?'

'Of course!' Volteer smiled. 'We have the entire day dedicated to this goal, so we can take time. I would advise you to use the crystals after every fight and take at least half an hour to rest. So, in a sense, today will be rather lax compared to our past lessons... and the future ones.'

'Not counting the violence, of course...' Sparx couldn't help but glance around the large storeroom compartment, groaning loudly as he recognised the wood and straw dummies. 'Haven't you had enough of those things, Spyro?'

Spyro glanced at his brother thoughtfully. 'In this way... no, not really, Sparx. And if you get bored watching, those orc and grublins dummies are something new.'

'Yeah... something uglier, too.'

'Well, I think they're cool!' Sion said. 'I feel like I haven't fought enough orcs. Grublins aren't really that much fun.'

Sparx smirked down at him. 'Because orcs and grublins are _great_ fun.'

Sion smiled back. 'See, Gah gets it!'

Sparx and Solaris groaned to themselves. 'Now Gah's going to check out. You kids have fun beating each other up! Bye bye.'

Spyro and Cynder grinned fondly as the dragonfly flew up to the ceiling and zoomed through one of the semicircular openings in the ceiling.

'Now, let's begin...' Cyril said, nodding in Volteer's direction. The electric Guardian smiled back and made his way into the left side room – projecting a thick electric beam onto a hidden switch. The walls around them began to grind, and after a moment, the walls began to shift and expand towards the centre of the room. After a moment of alarm from the youngsters, the walls stopped – and Spyro beheld three elevated observation platforms, each big enough for a line of adult dragons, whilst maintaining a large, but partially closed-off arena floor below.

Cyril nodded to himself with satisfaction, before fixing Sion with stern gaze. 'Sion, you will go first. Spyro, are you ready?'

Sion's jaw dropped. 'Wait, already?' He glanced down at the floor. 'I'm... um... honoured? Is that the word?' He slowly grinned as he watched Spyro make his way to the centre, while everyone else flew up to the newly-formed platforms above – several of them stretching their wings pleasantly at the hot sunlight. 'I guess I'm really lucky to see you in action so quickly!'

Spyro examined him with surprise. 'You're... not afraid, or anything?' He didn't voice it, but Sion being unable to use the red crystal did worry him, even if Cyril was around.

_Cyril... _he flinched briefly with embarrassment as he recalled his battle on the Fellmuth. _I have no idea how Sion fights... and I won't underestimate anyone anymore. _

'The rules for the fight are simple...' Terrador began, his deep voice booming around from his high position. 'Apart from the restraint Cyril mentioned, the fight will end when one combatant lands five unblocked hits on the other. By "blocked" I'm referring to hitting the outer wing's surface, the horns and the forearms of your front legs.' Spyro and Sion nodded to each other as they stood opposite each other, a few feet from the podium stone circle. 'Whenever you two are ready.'

They both stiffened, watching each other as they circled slowly. Spyro studied Sion's claws and feet... the way he moved reminded him of Cynder...

The bronze drake broke his trail of thought as he pounced, white claws extended. Spyro instantly shifted his body to one side, pulling in his wing in the same direction to block the blow. Before the claws could pierce the membrane, he used the momentum to spin around, clipping Sion's back legs with his tail as his opponent landed. Sion yelped and slid a few feet, but as Spyro backed away defensively, the bronze drake recovered and pushed off one side to regain his footing.

Spyro's muzzle twitched with amusement as he beheld Sion's gleeful visage. 'You're enjoying this.'

Sion nodded enthusiastically. 'Yup – and we only just started!'

'Just stop talking,' Solaris grumbled.

Sion rolled his head before lowering it. Spyro watched his feet for a second, trying to predict his next move. The bronze drake charged, gaining speed rapidly across the room.

_I can't block that! Hm... clever._

Spyro dodged by rolling to the side, but Sion easily corrected his course, using his front claws to dig into the stone to steady his redirection. With impressive stamina, Sion charged Spyro repeatedly, always changing direction quickly enough to prevent a counterattack.

Spyro lowered his head and waited, and at just the right moment, he jumped diagonally to aim down at Sion as he passed. He slashed down with his claws – but Sion had other ideas, jerking his arm backwards, driving a spike right into Spyro's stomach.

They disengaged and Spyro stood one three legs to touch his stomach. Surprisingly, there was only a trickle of blood. _Those spikes aren't as sharp as they look..._

Sion turned to look at him apologetically, but Spyro nodded with approval.

_One up on me._

Spyro edged forward in short bursts, waiting for an opportunity. Sion circled away from him warily, watching Spyro's claws and wings. He flinched each time Spyro jerked forward, unable to predict whether Spyro was feinting. On the third successive movement, he pounced forward without warning, but Spyro was ready.

Volteer grinned. _Using Sion's impulsiveness to his advantage..._

The purple drake pushed off the floor backwards, leaving Sion's claws raking thin air. He pushed forward immediately after, ramming Sion's scalp with his own, twisting his body to knock away his claws with a wing before slashing at his neck and shoulder and smacking his chest with his tail, sending his opponent tumbling away. Sion recovered quickly despite the beating, and stood up after a moment to face him again, still grinning to himself.

_Now I'm ahead._

Sion seemed to unwind his tense stance as he waited for Spyro to make the next move. Spyro felt his muscles loosen up as well; he had seen enough to know that Sion was quite fast despite his superior bulk. He took the initiative and rushed forward with a flurry of blows, but Sion small wings and spikes were effective at keeping Spyro back, and he hopped over any tail swipes Spyro executed. However, he was soon driven into the wall, and Spyro immediately drove his head downwards, exposing his horns. Sion eyed the sharp tusks in alarm and squirmed to get out of the way, but he was a moment too slow against the wall.

Spyro, instead, slid his head under Sion's chest and launched the heavy drake over his head with surprising ease. Sion didn't go far before he landed, though, and Spyro immediately jumped at the wall and launched himself back towards the centre, landing and facing Sion for another attack.

'Uh... Sion?'

The bronze drake was dazed with apparent awe at the display, a wide grin on his face – not making any move to fight.

'You're really good, Spyro! Better than I thought, even...'

'We're still going, you know...'

Terrador cleared his throat as he stepped forward and hopped down, clearly very pleased with what he'd witnessed.

'I think we've seen enough for now, you two. Very well done!' He fixed Sion with an approving look. 'You've surprised me, Sion. Despite no official training, you've adapted a unique style – no doubt because of your spikes. You may yet become a fine warrior, young drake.'

'Actually,' Volteer interjected, 'many of his movements were similar to the Electric style of combat! I suspect Telsa's at least shown him a few things – the only missing variable is experience.'

Cyril looked at his fellows flatly. 'I think both of you are jumping to conclusions, here. He cannot use magic... which is a greater handicap than either of you seem to realise.'

Sion's elated grin fell somewhat, but Spyro approached him, battle stance gone.

'You were surprisingly good, Sion. Though...' He exhaled longingly. 'I wish we could have kept at it for a while longer.'

The bronze drake smiled brightly and bobbed his head. 'Me too! So you thought it was fun?'

_Fun? _Spyro frowned to himself for a moment. He'd never fought for the sake of it or choice; it had always been a necessary caveat of him protecting his family, finding the guardians, seeking answers about Malefor – and saving Cynder and the world. But the bronze drake in front of him saw it as... sport? He could admit to himself, for the first time, which he'd enjoyed fighting, especially without the pressures of world destruction or the loss of those he cared about.

Spyro smiled back. 'Yeah... I guess I did.'

Sion raised his head to Terrador hopefully. 'Can we go again?'

Everyone in the room stared down at him. 'Spyro still needs to fight three more times today.' Cyril snorted. 'I'm afraid you can only indulge in such sparring in your own time.'

'Aww...'

Spyro chuckled as Sion lowered his head. 'Maybe when I'm not being grilled the entire day, Sion.'

'Hey!' He raised his head. 'Maybe I can fight some of your matches for you? Then you won't be so tired once we're finished!'

Solaris narrowed her eyes and hissed shortly. 'Did you even listen to the Guardians?' She sighed. 'What am I saying – of course you didn't.'

Sion wrinkled his muzzle with annoyance and hopped an impressive height up to the platform to join the others, before Terrador examined Spyro carefully.

'Are you well, Spyro? Do you want a rest?'

Spyro glanced up at Cynder, who was smiling. He felt slight chills run through his limbs, as well as some leftover energy.

'No, I'm good. I think can manage one more before I take a break.'

Sion yelped in dismay as he spotted the small pile of leatherbark next to Solaris, who was writing on her own sheet – probably taken from one of the side-rooms.

'We have to take notes on this too!?'

Solaris spared him a momentary glance. 'Yes, because what I do dictates what everyone else does.'

'It... does?'

Alaia forced a smile as she glanced in their direction. 'She doesn't mean it, Sion. Come on, Cynder gets to fight next...' She examined the black dragoness with anticipation. 'I've heard you're really good, Cynder – maybe I should take notes too.'

Right as Cynder nodded, hopping down and approaching Spyro, Alaia warily took one of her own sheets and pulled it away, obviously keeping her distance from the blue dragoness. Cynder glanced at the lone Solaris sympathetically, picking up on Alaia's fearful demeanour.

'Cynder?'

Spyro had his gaze fixed on her, but she could tell it was forced... stiff. She'd pictured them fighting in this situation to be more relaxed and fun, but as it was...

She sighed.

'OK, I'm ready if you are, Spyro.'

Inwardly, she didn't feel ready at all. It seemed simple enough, to show everyone, including Spyro, what she could do... but fighting Spyro like this didn't seem right.

She frowned to herself. _Like there would be a better time anyway._

They both circled each other gradually, and while Cynder couldn't openly smirk, the familiar movement but opposing circumstance made her muzzle twitch with amusement.

_This time... I actually want to fight... and learn..._

She quickly scanned the purple dragon, analysing and trying to guess what he would do. From their time fighting together, she knew she was much more flexible and mobile than Spyro was; however, he seemed to make good judgements under fire and catch his enemy off guard with counters and force when appropriate. Though she had been surprised by some of the moves he used against Sion – presumably because she'd never seen him fight a dragon the same size as him. She lowered her head as she took the initiative, slinking forward.

She struck first as Spyro stood firm. Spyro blocked her claws easily with his wings and front claws, but she bounced away diagonally, jumping and swinging her tail around over the top of his wing. Spyro managed to duck just in time and roll away; they both knew that the sharp tail would hurt at the very least.

Cynder didn't stop and swiped down at Spyro's feet as he was about to regain his footing, prompting him to roll away again, bringing them both closer to the wall. Cynder continued to hound his movements in an attempt to disrupt his balance – her speed and agility letting her attack unabated. Finally, Spyro cut off her assault by flapping his wings in one swoop toward one side, causing Cynder to spin to the left slightly as the gust pushed into her open wing, and he leapt forward through the opening in her attack. However, she simply let her body shift in the direction he had blown, sliding over the floor just enough to evade Spyro's attack, and Spyro spun himself around by pressing his front claws into the stone, leaving them facing each other from when they started.

They both managed a smile.

'Just like old times, huh Spyro?'

'Not really.' He examined her fondly. 'You were a bit bigger last time we really fought.'

She snorted. 'Yeah... just a _bit_ bigger.'

Sion tightened his muzzle. 'Huh? What? How could she'd be bigger before? Did she eat too much?'

Spyro's cheeks puffed up, a claw covering his muzzle hastily as Cynder shot them both a disgruntled scowl. 'Hey! I've never eaten _that_ much.'

Cyril cleared his throat impatiently, prompting them to fall silent and resume their bout.

It was Spyro's turn to initiate, and he ran forward as Cynder shifted her weight sideways, preventing him from closing the distance quickly. Instead, he slashed forward as fast as he could – Cynder ducking to the side and keeping her wings close to her body. Spyro spun with a tail strike – Cynder evading its predictable motion – and finished by launching himself forward and swatting at her with his wings and tail with a final twist, but Cynder flapped her wings and launched herself away.

She hovered in the air for a moment, smiling with approval. _If I were an Orc, I'd probably be reeling by now._

She flapped again and spurred herself forward, circling the enormous room, as Spyro watched her curiously from below. She would have the advantage in the air, and they both knew it.

'Wait, we could fly?!' Sion exclaimed as they observed Cynder's flying skills, pirouetting as she spurred her wings to maintain a steady pace.

Volteer glanced down at him. 'We never said anything about _not _doing it... and this room is large enough to accommodate you youngsters flying, so why not?'

Spyro wouldn't budge from the ground, so Cynder began to swoop down over him and lash out with her tail. She knew that it would hurt, but her yet undeveloped tail blade wouldn't penetrate Spyro's scales so easily. Spyro instinctively blocked with his wings, but Cynder slashed her tail downwards coming out of the dives, hoping to land hits. She couldn't tell if she was hitting him properly; she would have to trust the Guardians' judgement on that.

She made several runs on Spyro, using her front claws to block his as he lashed up at her, and deflecting his horns with her own – though it did sting her skull a little as her horns struck Spyro's thicker ones. She felt her tail cut flesh, but without a signal from Spyro or the others to stop, she continued her assault.

Spyro watched her carefully, and Cynder was relieved to see no real injuries on him. However, when she pulled out of her dive, Spyro spun around and managed to wrap his claw around her tail blade enough to pull her back. She kicked into his face on instinct as she flapped again, but Spyro was able to leap up and crash into her mid-air.

Cynder's body tensed as they briefly grappled; Spyro was stronger but her claws were sharper and penetrated his digits slightly as their limbs locked and they battered each other with their wings and horns.

They both managed to catch a mixture of pride and frustration in each other's eyes, if only for a moment.

After a few seconds, Cynder projected a wide gust from both of her wings into Spyro's left, spinning them both around and bringing herself crashing down on Spyro into the stone floor. She felt his limbs weaken considerably as they rolled across the hard surface.

They came to rest with Cynder holding down Spyro's forearms; both frozen as they waited for each other make another move. Neither did, the blood beating in their eardrums drowning out their heavy breathing.

Cynder eventually felt heat flow up into her face as she stared at the rise and fall of Spyro's thick chest, feeling his strong forearms under her palms, as he managed a tired grin and lifted his head slightly to look up at her.

'You're... too much, Cynder...'

She lifted her head, eyes darting around as Cyril cleared his throat uncomfortably. 'Well... are you two quite finished?'

She ducked her head down and slid off of Spyro, her body already missing the close contact. Spyro also looked a little disappointed as he rolled over, but sighed with relief as he caught his breath.

'So who won?' Sion piped up loudly as no one moved.

Terrador smiled widely at them. 'Neither. Cynder landed quite a few scrapes, but only on Spyro's wings and claws. If we had let them keep going, I can only wonder how long it would take... aside from the fall, that is.'

Solaris eyed Cynder with disapproval. 'You had him down! With him winded, you could have taken an easy victory. What happened?' She frowned. 'And here I thought you were sensible – especially in combat.'

Sion chuckled. 'How would she do that? Touch his chest five times?'

'That would count, yes...' She turned and eyed Cynder from above. 'Well?'

Cynder opened her jaw slightly, unsure of how to answer. Sion was glancing between the two of them with obvious amusement and curiosity, while Solaris seemed genuinely annoyed – but more importantly, confused. 'Well... uh... oh, nevermind.'

'There's more to this than winning, Solaris.' Cyril said. 'Actually, that goes for you too, Sion. But at least Solaris is learning more than you, given her two full pages of notes...'

Sion spared the two sheets next to him a dismissive glance. 'I'd rather remember it myself. You can't look at notes while fighting.'

Alaia chuckled lightly, but avoided eye contact with Solaris. 'He has a point, there.'

The bronze drake then grinned widely at the two dragons still on the arena. 'You know, I wish you guys kept on going. It was getting good!'

Solaris raised a brow. 'Good? The fight was practically over.'

'I wasn't talking about the fight...'

There was an awkward pause as Spyro and Cynder flushed and ducked their heads in embarrassment.

'Ahem!' Cyril declared, waving his wing at Sion, making him wince and fall silent. 'Spyro, I believe you need a rest. A chance to cool down.'

Terrador and Volteer nodded in agreement, though both were smiling while Cyril glanced away uncomfortably, and Spyro made his way toward the healing crystals. Cynder spotted a lot of small cuts and bruises on Spyro's wings and forearms, but his horns looked untouched. She watched him go sympathetically, before poking her own tongue into a suddenly dry mouth.

'Ugh... Now I'm thirsty...'

Sion and Alaia leapt down and approached her while Solaris remained where she was and immediately began poring over her notes.

'Maybe you should get a drink or two,' Alaia said, eyeing her with obvious envy. 'I didn't even manage to get all my notes down. Speaking of... I should... probably get back to that...'

As she left to her own, smaller pile, Sion eyed her expectantly.

'If you're going to get some buckets of water, can I come? I really want to keep moving after such a fun fight... You are going, right?'

Cynder glanced at Volteer and Terrador, but the two seemed to be discussing her and Spyro's fighting styles – a bit more intensely than she expected. She then looked over to see Cyril presiding over the room to make sure everything was in order for the next fight, while Spyro rested near the healing crystal.

'Might as well; I still feel like doing... something, after all that... and we can get enough water for everyone, especially Spyro.'

'Yay!'

Cynder snorted with amusement as she followed Sion out.

* * *

Sion somehow managed to keep talking even as they flew down, bombarding Cynder with questions about how and where she learned to fight like that. Inwardly, she didn't mind – the distraction proved useful in pushing away other, more worrisome thoughts in the back of her head.

'–I think I might be able to move like that, one day... I've never seen someone dodge like that! It's like dancing! Wait, do dragons dance?'

Cynder shook her head with amusement. 'I've never seen it, Sion. Then again, I'm not the best dragon around to ask.'

'Who would know? I mean, wind dragons seem to do it anyways, but I wonder if they teach it to other dragons...'

'I doubt Earth dragons could fight like that. It's just how their bodies are built.'

'How do you think I should fight, then?'

She examined him curiously; his large muscles actually seemed to complement a fast, fluid fighting style that wouldn't be possible for Spyro or other drakes with what she considered a "normal" musculature.

'... You are pretty fast, Sion. Not very experienced, but... maybe us wind dragons could teach you something. Hopefully, Nadina will be teaching me and Alaia when it comes to wind element.' Her eyes fell as Sion frowned worriedly. 'Though I'm not sure what you're going to be doing in elemental training.'

'Oh...' Sion fell silent for a moment. 'Do you know if... I'll ever have magic? I'm really starting to wonder. I've been waiting years, but...' He frowned miserably. 'Every time I try, nothing comes out.'

Cynder narrowed her brow as she thought back to last week. In their first lesson, Volteer had mentioned young dragons displaying their powers as early as two or three years old. Spyro had first used his powers quite late at twelve; though this was attributed to him being raised by dragonflies rather than dragons.

_If Sion hasn't shown anything by now..._

'I'm not sure, Sion. Even Volteer's never heard of dragons not having magic by their teenage years... so... I'm sorry, I don't know.'

He sighed miserably, and they glided over the lower districts in silence. Thankfully, he smiled again as he watched the small moles and cheetahs alongside the larger dragons from above milling about their business – seemingly carrying raw materials into a large, dark archway poking out from below. Cynder quickly spotted the fountains along the stone dragon jets, with neat piles of buckets next to them.

They wasted no time in gathering four buckets and dipping them into the purified water, but as the two turned around to find a good launch position, they spotted a lone Ice dragoness struggling with her own collection, with a much larger pail. Cynder examined her sympathetically; the way she was limping indicated she was crippled in some form or another.

Sion glanced sidewards at Cynder curiously before watching the same dragoness for a moment, and in a second he lowered his buckets and approached her.

'Hi! Do you need some help?'

'Oh! Well, thank you...'

Cynder approached as well; the Ice dragoness' scales were a pale shade of blue, like it was faded over a long period of time. She turned to Sion curiously, and gave a small smile as he attempted to lift one of her buckets – which was simply too big for him. Cynder grinned as he struggled to lift one that was almost his size with just his neck and horns.

'Sion, you're trying too hard... you'll just tip the whole thing over.'

The dragoness's brown eyes locked with hers, and she immediately pulled back from Cynder as her eyes widened in fear.

Cynder's stomach squirmed as she looked away.

Sion grunted with frustration, before shrugging his shoulders and letting the large bucket slide back to the ground. 'It's no good. What do you need to take water for, anyway?'

He glanced between the two silent dragonesses for a moment.

'Uh... hello? Cynder? Ice dra–' He frowned uncomfortably. 'Sorry, I haven't asked you what your name is.'

'...Raina,' She spoke quietly, before gathering her large bucket under her arm. 'I'm sorry, but I need to go.'

'Huh?' Sion spouted. 'Already? You sure you don't want us to carry some smaller ones for you?'

Cynder shook her head as well. 'Wait... please, I need to know if I...' –she gulped– 'if I did something to you.'

Raina shook her head as well, unable to meet her eyes. 'No, I can't – don't want any trouble–'

They all cringed as a wide shadow passed over them, followed by the beating of massive wings. Cynder and Sion backed away hastily and covered their faces before the forceful gusts blasted into them, and looked up as the beating ceased.

Shadros stared down at them both with a burning gaze, sending Cynder reeling even further. Sion, however, narrowed his eyes and stepped forward indignantly.

'Hey! What was that for?!'

The old dragon turned and spared Sion a brief glance, but immediately returned his attention to Cynder.

'Stay away from my daughter – if you know what's good for you.'

His furious growl stung her like an icy spear, leaving her numb as she stared at the ground.

'Father, don't...'

Shadros didn't budge, standing his ground as Sion and Cynder backed away.

The bronze drake narrowed his eyes indignantly as the elder dragon retracted his gaze. 'What's your problem?! What did Cynder ever do to you?'

Shadros didn't bother looking at him. 'If you still have no idea who she is, even when you've stood at her side all this time... then you are not worth my attention.'

They stood silently as the two Ice dragons began to take off, Shadros taking the bucket for Raina and widening his wings. Sion, still frowning resentfully, grabbed one of their buckets behind them, and before Cynder could object – hooked a claw through the handle and tossed it toward the old dragon's back.

A thick mist closed around the container, the spilling water freezing in mid-air before shattering against the stone as it landed. The ancient dragon turned his long neck slightly, glaring at the two of them one final time before hissing under his breath.

'_Degenerate. Murderer.'_

Cynder's wing shot out as Sion inched forward again, and they watched the two dragons disappear into the Water district below.

'Why that...! Why I'll... urgh!' Sion trembled, but calmed down when he saw Cynder shaking her head at him miserably.

'Enough, Sion.' She caught several gazes from the opposite wall; a few guards were glancing over at the scene curiously. 'Let's just... let's get out of here.'

Sion reluctantly followed her and gathered their buckets from before, a heavy silence bearing down on them. The bronze drake spared one final glance at the water district before they took off.

'...Meanie.'

* * *

The two returned to the dome to see Spyro and Alaia on the ground floor near the entrance; Spyro was chatting to the olive dragoness as she scrawled down some notes as he spoke. He quickly spotted Cynder as she landed, flashing her a smile.

'Cynder, we were just talking about you and your–'

He frowned as he beheld Cynder nearly in tears. 'What happened? Are you alright?!'

Cynder shook her head, but had trouble forming words before Alaia approached as well, along with Volteer. Terrador and Cyril watched her sadly, but almost like they had seen this coming at some point. Even Solaris lifted her head to examine her with concern.

Sion was the one who spoke first.

'It was that mean old ice dragon – we were just trying to help his daughter, and he swoops down and yells at us for it. Swooping is bad!'

'Shadros...' Spyro repeated warily, earning some worried glances from the Guardians.

Alaia glanced around worriedly, her gaze resting back on Sion. 'The old Ice dragon? What did he look like?'

'Well he was...' Sion struggled to form a picture in his head, oblivious to the movement around him. 'He was huge, especially with his wings... He barely moved anything when he stood there, though.' He turned around and squinted through the sunlight, as a shadow passed over him. 'Kinda looks like that guy.'

Tense silence permeated the room as everyone gazed at the visitor, Solaris' red eyes narrowing with hostility.

'That _is _him, you dolt.'

Sion yelped as Shadros strode in, pushing the drake aside with a massive wing, examining his surroundings curiously as if he was invited in.

'Shadros?' Cyril called uncertainly as he approached, the younger dragons backing away. 'To what do we owe this visit?'

Volteer cleared his throat, trying to appear friendly, but instead maintained a robotic expression. 'More importantly, what just happened between you and Cynder?'

Shadros remained silent for a moment. 'What have you three heard?'

'That you made a scene by yelling at her.' Terrador growled. 'Is there any truth to that?'

'Yes... I suppose so. But that is of no consequence right now.' His gaze fell on Spyro, who narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

_Scaring Cynder like that isn't of "consequence"?_

'I am here to see Spyro fight.'

The Guardians glanced between Shadros and the younger dragons, most of whom were watching the old dragon with suspicion at best, and at worst – anger.

'I'm afraid that's rather... ill-advised,' Cyril said. 'I think it would be best to–'

Shadros thrummed loudly – tinged with impatience, but none of it reaching his voice. 'Levyr forbid I take an interest in the purple dragon's education.'

The Guardians looked at each other again, Cyril nodding with reluctant approval after a few seconds of exchanged gazes.

'Very well then, Shadros... You may stay. Spyro will be fighting Solaris next – I suggest you keep your distance from the youngsters. I'm afraid you somewhat... unnerve them.'

Shadros glanced between Spyro and Solaris as she collected her notes to put aside. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but Cynder detected intense curiosity emanating from his pale eyes.

Before they took their places, Cynder approached Cyril whilst eyeing Volteer expectantly, who shook his head when he caught her eye.

'Cyril?'

He bowed his head impassively. 'Is something the matter, Cynder?'

'Didn't Volteer tell you... about...?'

He grunted and tightened his wings as he glanced towards Spyro, Solaris, and Shadros, who was paying more attention to the blue dragoness and the arena layout. He raised his voice so that everyone could hear.

'I'm fully aware of their personal grievances, Cynder. However' – he turned to address the two in question – 'I fully expect you both to maintain the maturity you've upheld in your education so far, and keep personal matters out of this learning environment.'

The two young dragons nodded stiffly, without taking their eyes off each other, now standing opposite one another. Cynder examined Spyro worriedly; that same look was in his eyes again, and she internally doubted that he could live up to Cyril's expectations. Solaris had the same stony mask on as usual; she had no idea what Solaris was thinking, or what Magma dragons did in these instances.

She shifted away nervously with the others to one side of the arena while the four elders formed a semi-circle on the other. Sion was the only one who adopted a relaxed demeanour despite the tension hanging in the air.

'Go on, Spyro! You can beat her! She may look scary, but I reckon she'll be really slow!'

Cynder groaned and couldn't resist bumping his side in annoyance.

'Keep it down, Sion... Can't you see what's going on?'

Sion glanced sideways at her. 'Spyro and the meanie are fighting?'

'Ugh...'

Terrador glanced between them as Volteer pursed his muzzle worriedly.

'Begin.'

Spyro began to crawl sideways, but Solaris stood her ground, turning her body to follow Spyro's footsteps. He began to push forward, and Cynder picked up on the direction: he was trying to force her into a corner.

Solaris, however, shifted forward toward him in response, her movements slow and methodical. Cynder exhaled slightly as a half a minute went by.

_Well, they're not tearing each other's throats out yet..._

Solaris remained passive and still didn't initiate after another half a minute – her thick wings drawn forward in a defensive posture. Finally, Spyro took the bait, gripping the ground with his front claws and lowering his horns for a charge. Solaris didn't move, and Cynder narrowed her eyes curiously. _Can she block a charge like that?_

Solaris inched forward as Spyro neared, but he dropped his body into a roll around her. It took a moment for her to twist her body to face his new position.

Spyro leapt through the air for his next attack, but kept his wings and claws drawn together as he hit Solaris' wing – and she immediately thrust her wing forward on impact, prompting Spyro to kick off in a back-flip and land back where he started.

_They're analysing each other – testing reactions._

Spyro then began to circle around her faster, attacking whenever she was too slow to turn around fully; but she managed to counter these blows with either the closest wing, or by deflecting a claw with her trident tail blade. Spyro managed to grab the tail, but Solaris twisted her body in response, pulling him closer, and he only just managed to let go and jump back in time to avoid her horns.

She then strode forward as Spyro landed from his jump, her wings arching forward. He blocked with his wing, but her wing talon cut into it, and he snarled as he twisted his body away, a few drops of blood spilling from his wing membrane.

Cynder's eyes widened in alarm; it didn't tear a hole through his wing, but it was the worst wound yet inflicted in training. She glanced over at the Guardians, who mostly maintained a passive gaze.

_How much are they going to pass off as "not holding back?"_

As Spyro shrugged off the wound, he retracted his right wing a little, tipping it so that the blood wouldn't drip off so easily. He breathed deeply in an attempt to focus, sizing Solaris up again for an opportunity.

He then tried a different approach and charged straight at her, this time without lowering his horns. His gaze was so intense that Solaris drew in her wings, and for an instant, lost eye contact. In that moment, Spyro jumped just high enough to avoid her wing talons, his claws locking around one of Solaris' horns as she lowered them, and tipped his head downwards. Solaris hissed as his horns cut through the scales on her back; and Spyro twisted in mid-air to block her tail and wings lashing out in response, ending with him crash-landing behind her.

She twitched painfully, flexing her shoulders. Spyro had drawn a little blood, though her thick scales prevented any real damage. She turned and eyed Spyro coldly as he got up, this time launching her own offensive.

She lashed out with her claws, but Spyro drew his head just out of reach, smacking her face with his wing and biting down on her forearm. She growled and her wing talons shot forward again, cutting into his other wing as he blocked it.

They both backed away after a few seconds, their fangs exposed as they glared at each other. Cynder's stomach churned; Spyro had only gotten two blows in, and they were already fighting like it was to the death. She stared pleadingly at the Guardians, but Shadros and Cyril shook their heads.

_What is _wrong_ with them? Is training supposed to be this intense?!_

On the next round, both of them charged. Spyro struck first, but Solaris deflected it with a flick of her wing and slashed forward, cutting him across the chest. He barely reacted, twisting and sweeping her legs with his wing, slashing her shoulder as she fell sideways. He then leapt forward and batted her left wing aside with his claw and slashed down at her chest mercilessly.

Her whole body tensed, a manic glint shining in her eyes. She drew in her wings and grazed his shoulder with another slash, and just as he pulled away, let loose a stream of blue fire. The Guardians immediately called out, but neither of the combatants heard, Spyro leaping back and expelling his own crimson blaze. The two streams met in the centre of the arena, billowing off to the sides. After a few moments, an adjacent ice stream hissed and blinded them in a cloud of mist; and Terrador leapt down and blasted them both with a resounding Earth Shot – sending them sprawling into adjacent walls.

'ENOUGH!'

The Earth Guardian strode forward to stand in the middle of their stares, Cyril's angry roar from above finally snapping them out of it as they looked up at him.

'Spyro! Solaris! Really, I expected better from both of you!' He leapt down as well as everyone else. 'If you are truly incapable of following instructions, then you are similarly incapable of learning anything from each other! Until such a time you both understand this, you cannot train together, with or without permission. Is that clear?!'

They glared at each other for a moment, but nodded meekly. Cyril huffed, but cleared his throat as he lowered his voice as more blood dripped on the floor.

'Solaris, come with me. Someone... take Spyro to the crystal near the Falcon pen.'

Terrador quickly gestured for Spyro to follow – Sion, Alaia and Volteer hurrying along to follow them. Cynder felt torn for a few seconds, glancing over her shoulder as Cyril accompanied the silent Solaris into the side room. She sighed sadly, and turned back to join the others.

She shivered for a moment, and turned back one more time. Shadros was staring over her head; his curious expression unchanged from when he first came in.

* * *

Sparx quickly found them afterwards, and when Cyril had come around to patch Spyro up further with ice, he sent them all home. Alaia and Sion stayed behind with Volteer, given that Spyro was not in the right state of mind to train with her.

A few silent, but tense minutes later, Spyro was in his room at home, leaving Sparx and Cynder exchanging worried glances every so often when they heard nothing from him.

'Sparx...' She shook her head worriedly. She had tried talking to him as he was healing, but the company prevented her from voicing everything she wanted to say. 'What do I do? Do you know what to do?'

He shook his head vehemently. 'After what just happened, I wouldn't want to be alone with him. Maybe you'd have a better chance than me... I can't say things without insulting him in some way.'

She frowned in annoyance, but she knew it was time to end this for real. She sighed, approaching the drawn crimson curtains covering his room.

'Spyro? Can I come in?'

After a moment, a low grunt sounded, and was all she needed. She poked her head delicately to see Spyro lying on his bed, staring down at a book – his still eyes indicating he wasn't actually reading.

She watched silently until he finally spoke, closing the book with a sigh, but he still didn't look at her.

'You know, I thought I was better than this, just a few days ago...' He drew a palm to his forehead. 'That I stooped to her level...'

'Why, Spyro?' She asked quietly. 'Why does it have to be like this? It's only hurting you both.'

He glanced at her for a moment, closing his eyes.

'I wish I could forget, Cynder. But... those Zhanda...'

She shook her head. 'It was a mistake. I told you already; she was ashamed when Nadina–'

'Yes – Nadina! Not before that!'

She drew her head back at the sudden venom in his voice.

'When I called her out on the killings... she showed who she really was. The... the apathy. The inherent contempt for life – that's not something you can change.' He glared at the cover of his book. 'She was only ashamed because Nadina was judging her. She doesn't truly care.'

She glanced down thoughtfully for a moment. 'So is this about her, or Malefor? Is it really because of her, or her likeness to him?'

He fell silent for a moment and gazed at her in surprise. 'I... I don't know. I don't know what Malefor was really like... and...'

'You don't want to know,' she said shortly. 'Just like you don't want to know why Solaris is like she is.'

'Maybe.' He narrowed his eyes again. 'Maybe I don't want to know why someone would choose to kill rather than spare; free from any constraints. I... I don't want to even be involved with someone like that.'

She sighed. 'Did it occur to you that there are constraints on her you can't see?'

He fell silent again as she slowly, but surely, sat next to him. 'Just last week you were training together, and you were pretty happy, right? Volteer was looking forward to you both having more lessons with him. Why should such a good opportunity go to waste because she's a killer? For reasons unknown?'

He opened his mouth, but she cut him off.

'News flash: we're killers too. I'm pretty sure you've killed Apes and Grublins plenty... and... well, I don't have to mention myself.'

He shook his head. 'You _shouldn't_ mention yourself. You're not like her!'

She frowned doubtfully, but shook her head. 'My point is: you don't know enough to be treating her like this. I hate to say it, but... Shadros looks at me the same way you look at her.' She paused for effect, as his eyes widened. 'Doesn't that bother you at all?'

He tightened his muzzle thoughtfully, eyeing her regretfully after a few moments. '... Yeah, I suppose it does.' He sighed and lowered his head. 'What should I do, then? I can't just forget what she did... or that look in her eyes with the dead animals behind her...'

'I'm not asking you to forget. I'm asking you to try and understand.' She groaned heavily. 'It's affecting all of us, not just you two! Please, for your own sake, at least.'

'My own sake...' Spyro slowly smiled to himself. 'When was the last time I did something like that?'

Cynder rolled her eyes. 'Not to mention everyone else... Just saying.'

They sat together in contemplative silence, Cynder watching him attentively.

'Alright...' He took a deep breath, slowly getting up. 'I'll try, Cynder... But it won't be easy.'

'Nothing worthwhile ever is.'

He raised a brow to gaze down at her with amusement. 'You know, it feels just like yesterday Sparx was complaining about finding Cyril. I said the same thing, you know–'

They were cut off by Sparx's feigned, disgusted remark from outside.

'I can hear you two, you know! Keep it down in there!'

* * *

To Spyro's mild disappointment, Solaris' house did not take long to find – after they asked around the few dragons in the neighbourhood. She had taken a smaller building stuck in between the taller ones surrounding it within the Fire district's inner circle. There was nothing particular impressive about it from the outside; he guessed Solaris chose the building no one would miss. It was a dull orange with rather faded paint, topped with a simple blue roof.

Cynder decided to accompany him for a time; just in case things got out of hand. Though even she doubted either of them would be _that _foolish.

They approached the grey door together, and Spyro raised a claw to knock. He hesitated as they both listened; she was home, filtering through what sounded like paper and small objects. As Cynder touched him with her wing gently, he exhaled and rapped his knuckles on the wood.

The activity within ceased instantly, claws tapping against stone as she moved, but her pace was burdened with a similar reluctance.

The door finally opened, and Solaris opened it swiftly, glaring at Spyro expectantly.

'You. What do you want?'

He fought the urge to drop everything and leave, and stood his ground, but also tried not to glare back. 'I just want to talk, Solaris.'

'Really? I find that hard to believe after that display.'

'We're talking now, aren't we?' He sighed tiredly. 'Can we at least come in?'

Solaris glanced between the two of them silently, and without another word, turned around, but let the door stay wide open as it dug into the stone slightly. They followed her inside, Spyro running through what to say in his head, while Cynder glanced around curiously. The layout was quite similar to their house: a kitchen area off to the left, with a couple of larger, closed-off rooms to the right. There was no staircase, however, and she guessed the bathroom was ahead, in the back corner down the longer hallway. She couldn't help but click her tongue enviously; the place was free of all dust, and all assorted objects – including books, scrolls and cubic stones – were arranged very neatly in separate groups. It made her wish she and Spyro knew more about home decorating – or how to live in houses at all.

Solaris turned around and stood there in the middle of the entry living room, still as a statue, and only spoke when Spyro was close enough and standing in a similar fashion.

'So, you came. You wanted to talk. So talk.'

Spyro exercised his jaw, but found the words harder to form, especially with Cynder in the room. As his eyes shot to Cynder a few times, Solaris narrowed her eyes.

'Why did you come, Cynder? Isn't this a matter between me and him?'

Cynder nodded reluctantly. 'I only offered to come as... what you'd call a safeguard.'

'Safeguard? Ah...' She raised her brow with approval. 'I see. And I'm guessing it was your idea to arrange this meeting in the first place?'

Spyro and Cynder glanced at each other awkwardly.

'Typical. I see not much has changed, then.'

Spyro growled to himself with annoyance before quickly shaking himself, and he cleared his throat. 'Cynder, could you wait outside, please? I think we can take it from here.'

She nodded and made her way out, calling back as she did. 'I won't be far. Good luck, you two.'

Solaris eyed the door thoughtfully, but decided against closing it, instead remaining where she was. 'Now – I ask you this. How long were you planning to keep this up?'

'Keep what up?' Spyro deflected uncomfortably, but she narrowed her red eyes swiftly.

'Don't waste my time. You come here, especially after an incident like that – I expect some honesty, at the very least. We won't get anywhere otherwise. But I can tell you have a question for me – you're just too much of a coward to ask it.'

Spyro frowned to himself, but as the heat stirred in his chest, he knew she wasn't wrong. 'You're right, I suppose. It took Cynder to show me that I actually wanted it answered.'

'Ask it, then.'

'Why did you kill the female?'

It was Solaris' turn to frown to herself. 'I presumed more meat would be welcomed. Dragons are carnivores, after all.'

'So you did presume, then.' Spyro kept his feelings to himself for the moment. 'Then why didn't you kill her cleanly? You treated her like an enemy rather than an animal. Even for most enemies – I wouldn't want to inflict any more pain than necessary.'

She was silent for a few, long moments. 'I lost control.'

Spyro shook his head scornfully before she cut him off.

'It wasn't due to the fight being difficult enough to push me over the edge. No – I _wanted _to lose control. I want to...' She fell silent, but braced herself, 'to inflict pain, to exert my will over others.'

'Even those incapable of fighting back?'

'That was... not my intention – to direct it against them.'

Spyro nodded to himself, still frowning stiffly. 'But you did.' He narrowed his eyes as he looked away from her. 'Do you even know who you remind me of?'

'Malefor?' She scoffed at his surprise. 'I read, Spyro. I'm well aware of what he's done. Though not so much what he sounds like.' She sighed miserably. 'But I'm not going to apologise for something that's part of me.'

'If you want to inflict pain... why bother hunting like that at all?' Spyro ran through scenarios in his head. 'You could go on missions like I did with Cynder, or go with the scouts... At least make your,' he suppressed a growl, 'thing... useful.'

'And slow them down? Be an impediment?' Spyro paused. 'Like I said, I'm too slow to keep with Guardian dragons over long distances. Not to mention that your mission to apprehend Snotty would likely have ended with me incinerating the entire fleet.'

Spyro groaned tightly. 'There's got to be... something better, than hunting for sport.'

'...Perhaps. But I already know, thanks to the Wind dragons, that I'm not suited to hunting.'

Spyro raised a brow at her calm reference. 'You're not angry at them?'

'Why would I be? Nadina was right. I lack the restraint and discipline required when it comes to taking life. It's not something I can help; or am proud of.'

He studied for a moment, shaking his head. 'Then what are you going to do with yourself?'

She lowered her gaze to the floor for a moment, turning towards her room on the right. 'Let me show you something.'

She poked her head through her thick, drab curtains, not waiting for Spyro as she pushed herself through. As he came in, he saw it was just as tidy as it was in the living room. But... a bit too tidy, as he saw large blocks of leatherbark scrolls, marked with many labelled tags, packed up with string into several large packages – no doubt being her personal notes.

'Wait... Are you leaving?'

'Yes, I am,' she stated calmly as she began to unwrap one.

'But... you've only been here for a week or so...'

'...I'm not leaving Warfang, you idiot!' She raised a brow at his relieved sigh. 'I'm moving to the Starlight Towers, as I've since brokered an arrangement with Areth that's mutually beneficial. I'm also tired of the numerous stares I've gotten exposed to in this cesspit.'

Spyro frowned in annoyance as she continued to sift through her scrolls apathetically. 'You shouldn't be so dismissive of the moles' handiwork; they help dragons more than you think.'

'I wasn't talking about them – the very fact that I get too many unannounced visitors here makes it a cesspit. Doesn't matter how pretty it is.'

'Visitors – like me?' He frowned. 'You'd rather I made an appointment for this?'

'That would have been more convenient, yes...'

She pulled out a small layer of sheets marked with a brown strip sticking out – with the runes for "Fire " and "Earth" both scrawled into it.

'Read these – perhaps they will explain better than I can.'

He narrowed his brow curiously at the several sheets before him. They were presented in a way that was easy to read – mostly with dot points in two columns comparing... something. It didn't take long for him to realise it was comparing rudiments of culture between all elements – including Magma dragons.

In any other position, Spyro would have gladly read these in depth, but he skimmed over the list until he found a heading: "Natural resources."

_Guardian dragons: The wind dragons seem to be the authority on this subject for all Guardian subspecies. They are very skilled hunters and the most suited to it – physically at least. I question some of their logic at times, given the abundance of resources around them. They seem to go out of their way to avoid hunting where at all possible, preferring scouting duty and letting those moles catch fish. Expert hunters going under-utilised. Very puzzling._

_Magma dragons: Even though we females are better suited to hunting than males, we don't compare at all in hunting ability. The animals I used to eat are not very edible, harder to catch and more scarce; while any meat I get in Neratha is an extraordinary treat in comparison. More filling, too. The wind dragons could hunt every day and be successful to a degree, while a Magma dragon mostly turns up with nothing; why do they not take advantage of this? _

'So that's it?' Spyro looked as her as she watched him expectantly. 'It's because of how you were raised? And...' He narrowed his eyes. 'Greed?'

'Partially. There are also environmental factors, societal expectations, and of course my love of inflicting pain.'

Spyro groaned to himself. 'You're not making a good case for yourself like that...'

'I'm not going to lie just to make you feel better. I am what I am.' She studied him curiously. 'I now have a question for you. Did you think, for a second, what would have happened if you had died?'

Spyro blinked. 'What?'

'Giving your energy to that Alozhanda. You could have died.'

He frowned thoughtfully. 'Yeah, so–'

'And you remember the last lesson we had with Volteer? About the land's connection to magic?'

'...'

She nodded with grim finality. 'Exactly. Not to mention you're not just any dragon – you're the purple dragon, with far more magic. The consequences for the land could be catastrophic.'

Spyro couldn't help but smack himself. 'I... didn't think about that...' He raised his head after a moment. 'But Nadina had been following me... I remember her calling to me. I don't think she would have let me die.'

'Maybe. But it was still a ridiculous risk for an animal.'

He eyed her back firmly. 'For a life.'

Solaris studied his firm gaze for a long time before exhaling lowly. 'I suppose that's what it comes down to – you and I see different things.'

Spyro paused; now that she said it like that, it didn't sound so terrible. _It might even be useful._

Solaris glanced over at another pile longingly, and Spyro caught another rune: "Aether". He pointed with his snout.

'What's that?'

'A term I'm using for Convexity. Let's leave it at that for now.'

She spoke with annoyance and shame, and he could see why: the section was almost paper thin. He bowed his head shamefully.

'I'm sorry I didn't help you find anything about Convexity. If I knew more, I would tell you.'

She scoffed and waved a wing dismissively. 'It turned out to be a massive waste of my time. Besides, now that Areth knows what I'm looking for, I can put my time to better use. All books go through her, one way or another.'

They sat in silence on the floor, both suddenly feeling very stupid. And yet, Spyro felt his chest loosen – if only a little.

'Cynder was right... in a way, I guess. But...' Images flashed through his head again, instant unease dropping in his stomach. 'I can't just forget that night, or what you did.'

She glanced at him blankly, and he squirmed uncomfortably – it was like she was sizing him up. 'Nor would I expect you to. You watching me for errors would be the most effective means to keep my – instincts – under control.'

Spyro tightened his muzzle uncomfortably as he went over the implications. _Then things won't get much worse... but at least maybe they will get better._

'So... should we talk to Volteer? I do want to keep our lessons going.'

'I already have – somewhat.' She cleared her throat uncomfortably. 'He finds my incomplete records of my people... fascinating. But I figured it would be a waste of time to delve too deep without you, even if I had to put up with your annoying death-glares.' She smirked. 'Thankfully, that won't be necessary any longer.'

Spyro paused awkwardly as he stood up. 'So... what now?'

'It's up to you – since you turned up unannounced, though, I would suggest you leave soon.' She closed her eyes for a moment, and loosened her shoulders momentarily, before returning to her steely posture. 'At least the social meandering has been resolved.' She glanced out of the window, noting the setting sun. 'I have to be moved into those towers by one-Lunos. Get out.'

Spyro's jaw dropped. 'Wait, what?'

'Ugh, you sound like Sion.' She shot up and herded him through the door, and began shoving him toward the exit. 'I don't need you poking through my notes before they're finished. GET OUT.'

She slammed the door shut behind him, and he was greeted by Cynder's confused smile.

'So...' She approached hesitantly, the sun reflecting off her scales brilliantly. 'How did it go?'

He smiled and fell into a relaxed trot beside her. 'Let's just say... I was glad to be thrown out, for once.'


	19. Blood on the Ice

Chapter 18

Blood on the Ice

* * *

The next week passed by, seemingly too quickly. Between training, hunting and extra lessons for Spyro, he and Cynder kept themselves quite busy among the other young dragons.

Volteer was obviously ecstatic when both Spyro and Solaris showed up for a joint meeting in his Tower quarters, and they both ended up spending their afternoons with Volteer well into the evening – which, in turn, led Spyro to retire earlier than usual. As a result, Cynder (at Spyro's encouragement) spent this time hanging around with Sion and Alaia; exploring Warfang, hunting and her personal favourite, flying. Both had busy days, but ones full of activity and interacting with people that fulfilled them in a way they hadn't experienced before. Thankfully, Spyro managed to get out of class early enough to join her often, while Solaris preferred to stick to the ground and indoors.

Cynder sometimes debated whether to join Spyro and Solaris in their meetings, but when it came down to it, she knew she'd rather hear the information from Spyro himself than put up with Volteer's roundabout style of teaching. Spending the evenings exchanging stories with him were just as enjoyable, if not more, than their daily activities. And when he did speak, he quickly displayed the same enthusiasm for knowledge that was shown before, which did wonders to cheer Cynder up that much more every day.

And yet... Cynder couldn't shake off a building tension; an unease that was triggered nearly every day as she went out. She went out of her way to avoid any of the old dragons, and thankfully didn't encounter Shadros again. However, more dragons of a similarly ripe age were giving her strange looks out of the corner of her eye, whispering when she was nearly out of earshot, and several heads turned away abruptly when she spotted them in groups. The one time she spoke up about it, the group denied any hostility and subtly broke away from any argument. Spyro and Sion offered to help with these problematic dragons, but Cynder refused – knowing that at this stage there wasn't anything worth fighting over. The only thing to do was to give it time.

A few days leading up to their next training period, Spyro took the opportunity to try and read up on some basic elemental techniques with Cynder, borrowing several books and bringing them home to share with her. Solaris was quick to pick up on this and after some debate, Spyro reluctantly let her join them; both gathering the required scrolls and flying down to the Fire district together.

As they shoved the doors open with their hard scalps, Solaris immediately tightened her muzzle as she eyed the place with disapproval. 'Really? The purple dragon lives in _this_? And what is that smell_?_'

Cynder raised a confused brow at her entrance, though deep down she somewhat liked the blue dragoness' company.

'What smell? I know it's a bit messed up in here, but...'

'You guys didn't notice?' Sparx piped up indignantly. 'Not ever? I always associated this stench with dragons in general.'

Solaris scoffed as Spyro unfurled the scrolls in the middle of the stone floor, swatting away loose cushions and parchment. 'If it was a simple "dragon" smell then Spyro would have smelt it in my old dwelling.' She narrowed her eyes at the dragonfly. 'Dragonfly – you don't have anything to do; clean it up. Find some–'

'This again?!'

Spyro sighed, somewhat impatiently. 'Guys, can we get to work before it gets dark? I'm already half-asleep as it is.'

'Fine,' Solaris groaned, snout still twitching, 'but the smell will be very distracting.'

As they glanced down at the scrolls from the four primal elements, Sparx hovered forward, keeping Spyro between himself and Solaris. Cynder raised her head at her fellow dragons curiously.

'Did Volteer ever tell either of you which element they'll be teaching first? And, maybe... who will be teaching them?'

They glanced at each other for a moment, before Spyro shrugged.

'We did ask, but he doesn't seem sure. I think it's hard to organise the lessons properly, given that... well...'

'... That you can use all of them, while Sion can't use any?'

Spyro nodded roughly. 'Yes... and you can use wind, Cynder, but there's no one to help you with the other three elements you have. It's kind of a mess, trying to assign equal weight to the five of us when our elemental capabilities are all over the place.'

Cynder glanced at the floor despondently. 'I don't think those "other" elements are even natural... so I don't know if anyone could ever teach me about them.'

Solaris examined the black dragoness curiously.

'What exactly _can_ you use?'

Cynder raised her head slightly. 'Poison, fear, and shadow.'

Solaris frowned thoughtfully and raised a claw to examine her digits. 'Hm... Shadow is obviously natural – otherwise there wouldn't have been a race of shadow dragons. Poison... That's no less natural than animals using venom; either to weaken their prey or defend themselves.' One digit was still raised. 'Fear, though? I have little idea. It sounds like something a dreadwing would use.'

Sparx snickered to himself. 'What... Is there a race of bat-dragons?'

'Who knows?' Spyro said. 'Neratha's only one of many continents on the planet. Maybe there is.'

'Anyway...' Cynder cleared her throat uncomfortably. 'I'm worried about Sion. Since he can't use magic, he might end up with no one to teach him.'

'Obviously,' Solaris stated flatly, 'but that's not our concern. I'm not going to get dragged down by a defect, especially when it comes elemental training.'

Spyro turned to her with disapproval. 'He's no less of a dragon than you are.'

Solaris bristled angrily at the remark, and Cynder immediately shot him a warning look.

'Spyro.'

Spyro turned away uncomfortably, while Sparx sighed with disappointment.

'Aw, you could have let them go at it for a bit, Cynder.'

Solaris and Spyro eyed him stiffly.

'You want to burn the house down?'

Sparx darted backwards from their combined gazes. 'Okay, okay! Sheesh, you dragons...'

'Now, before we get off-track again...' – Solaris pulled a scroll towards herself – 'are there really no other fire techniques to try before we begin? '

Spyro inclined his head as he leaned over to read the scroll awkwardly. 'Breath, bomb, flame charge. The missiles technically are a focused type of breath attack, so... I suppose that's it. Wait...' His brow lowered regretfully; recalling one particular memory. 'There was also a heat shield... but I don't know how useful that'll be.'

'...Disappointing.' Solaris sighed. 'I was hoping to be able to train here for years, rather than months.'

Cynder snorted doubtfully. 'You don't seriously think you can master fire breath in just a few months... do you?'

'Well... to be fair, I might have mastered everything but the charge attack already.'

Cynder grinned to herself whilst reading her own scroll on wind techniques. 'Someone's sure of themself.'

Solaris growled impatiently and ducked her head, putting everyone else out of her view. 'And someone's pretty calm for having so little reading material.'

Cynder's eyes widened for a moment as she glanced around at the two scrolls she had in front of her; both describing wind techniques. It was true; wind was her only element with any training information. If she was to become adept with all her elements, she was going to need help...

She glanced out the window while the others lowered their gazes to their scrolls, images of possible teachers flashing through her mind. Were there any poison dragons who survived Malefor's age-long onslaught? What kind of dragons would they be? And what of her own people?

Cynder's thoughts drifted until an unpleasant image of a bat-dragon came up, and she shook her head. Directing her thoughts back to the present before they got her down again, she began to watch Spyro for a while. She slowly smiled; even if Spyro couldn't use the same elements as her, he would be an ideal partner for research. Or at the very least, help her to find possible teachers. Plus, there was the possibility for private lessons and sparring, not unlike the one last week...

She slowly raised a confused brow as a pair of tiny eyes bore into her; the rising heat in her body dissipating as quickly as it came, glancing up at the source.

'Cynder, can you not look at him like that? At least in public.'

Solaris snorted derisively, making Sparx glare at her for a moment. 'A private residence is in public?'

Sparx didn't respond, but Spyro retracted his attention from his large Electric scroll. 'Um... are you two OK?'

The dragonfly grimaced uncomfortably as he pulled his eyes away from Cynder. 'I think she's getting a little too excited for a study meeting. Don't you think it's weird?'

He gave her a passing, warm glance. 'I... don't mind.'

'Well I do, to some extent,' Solaris spoke without taking her eyes off her scroll. 'If you distract each other to the same degree Cynder was distracted last week – enough so that she threw a victory – perhaps the torchbug has a point.'

Cynder frowned with displeasure. 'How about you two worry about yourselves and let me and Spyro worry about our own problems?'

'Fine. Eyes on scrolls.'

Cynder sighed and reviewed the parchment one more time. She couldn't get a good sense of how to use the information without being able to practice; since Spyro had so much more material to review than she did, she guessed he and Solaris would be sitting there for a while.

'I need some fresh air... to practice with.'

Spyro nodded with approval as she wrapped the two scrolls up in a basket and stepped outside. She raised an eyebrow as she heard Sparx buzzing behind to follow. At her questioning gaze, he shrugged.

'There's no point trying to talk with Miss Doubtfire in there.'

Cynder grinned widely – an idea forming in her head, but quickly decided against it.

The dragonfly sighed heavily, raising his arms in defeat. 'Do I even wanna know?'

'Even I wouldn't use for wind training...'

Cynder rolled her eyes and unfurled her scrolls upon a wide expanse of grass just to the side of the house. The scrolls were heavy enough not to be blown away by the pleasant breeze that now flowed past her wings. The nearby wall would also help if she accidentally blew them away of her own accord.

Sparx hovered down to examine the scrolls, and scratched his head. 'Well, there's obviously nothing useful for me in there... Whaddya gonna do?'

Cynder stood and raised her head, inhaling slowly. 'The more useful techniques listed here is one that lets me shoot wind at an enemy while dodging; by using my movements to propel them. Though...' – she groaned – 'it apparently takes years to master, along with patience and a certain state of mind...'

'Sounds like you should wait until you've got a real teacher; it sounds like pretty involved stuff.'

Cynder sighed. 'Well, I don't have anything better to do right now...'

'What about that other dragoness?' Sparx tipped his head back towards the Earth district. 'Wasn't she a wind dragon?'

Cynder raised her brow. 'Alaia! Why, yes... there's an idea. Thanks, Sparx!'

Without another word, she gathered her scrolls, not a few moments after laying them out, and took off in a gallop.

'Hey!' Sparx called as he chased after her. 'Wait for me!'

* * *

The next day, the five youngsters gathered together with the Guardians in the training arena – this time with Nadina and Areth there to greet them as well. As Cynder looked around, it became obvious that the adult dragons had been experimenting with the dummies, as there were at least a dozen limp dolls lying about on the arena floor – some of them charred. She glanced behind her at Solaris for a moment, expecting some immediate tension in the air with Nadina, but neither spared any glances for the other. She felt another strange chill up her spine; but from what, she couldn't place.

'There you are!' Volteer spoke up first as the others backed slightly into a semicircle, though Areth didn't look up from her scroll. 'A bit earlier than expected... We are still... hmm, how to put this...'

'What Volteer is _trying _to say,' Cyril said, 'is that we cannot train you all equally, due to expansive elemental diversity among you all.' Sion and Alaia stiffened nervously as his blue eyes passed over them. 'Spyro can obviously learn the most, but at the same time, the two of you need more attention due to your relative inexperience.' He sighed. 'Even with just five, we already have to make concessions...'

Cynder cleared her throat. 'So what are going to do?'

'First,' Solaris cut in, 'wouldn't it be more effective to follow Volteer's example and have us demonstrate our skill in magic?'

'We were getting to that!' Cyril muttered quickly.

Terrador spoke next. 'If we could find out just how much help each of you need – then yes, it would be ideal.' He raised his head and gazed at all of them in turn. 'If ever you feel that you're not gaining anything during the course of this training, do not be afraid to say so. Once we've ironed out exactly what each of you needs, we'll be expecting you to form and maintain your own training regime.' His muzzle widened with amusement as he glanced at Solaris. 'I've heard that you've already started on that, Solaris.'

She rolled her eyes as several eyes fell on her. 'Can we just get on with this?'

'Certainly,' Nadina spoke stiffly, raising her brow down at the blue dragoness. 'Would you like to go first?'

Areth nodded to herself with approval. 'The sooner the fire dragons demonstrate, the sooner I can chase up Lattik's overdue fine.'

'What?' Terrador objected with a slight frown. 'You're planning to leave before properly assessing them? That's... uncharacteristically irresponsible.'

Cyril also shot her a scolding look, but Areth waved a wing dismissively. 'I'm no teacher. I'm here to do my job, nothing more. It's not my fault you haven't chosen a new Fire Guardian yet.'

Solaris cut them off by shooting the fire switch up above with a quick missile. Nadina watched the projectile in surprise, before everyone took a similar position to yesterday as the fire conduit rose out of the floor.

Solaris frowned thoughtfully as she stood in front of the orb. Areth growled impatiently as she discarded her scroll, activating the orb with her claws outstretched, the walls around them once again shifting.

'There. You happy?'

Nadina chuckled lightly. 'You haven't finished your job, yet. So no.'

Areth snorted as the other adults gathered a dozen or so dummies into one half of the formed arena. Solaris watched them curiously before speaking up.

'So how will this work?'

'When I trained with Ignitus...' Spyro recalled as he stood beside her, 'we divided the arena into two halves: one used for targets of fire bombs, and I shot them from the other. For fire breath, I had to chase down the dummies within the whole arena.' He frowned for a moment. 'I'm... not sure how to demonstrate the comet dash, though.'

'Leave that to me.' Areth strode forward as the other adults flew up to their positions, along with Sion, Alaia and Cynder. 'I can send a string of dummies to test that one.'

Cyril blinked in surprise as he stared at the two of them. 'Are you two still at odds over that incident last week? I would hate to see a peer incinerated because of your personal grievances.'

Before either of them could answer, Areth cleared her throat, deflecting the question towards herself. 'I'll worry about that, Cyril. If they really wanted to fight, these two would have destroyed the scrolls I gave them in a fight over them.'

'Wha...?' Cyril frowned at her, apparently left out of the loop. 'Fine. But you both had better be on your best behaviour.'

Solaris' eye twitched slightly as she glared up at Sion, who was grinning back. 'I'm not a child.'

Spyro cleared his throat uncomfortably. 'To be fair, we've both been a bit childish the past week.'

Areth grabbed his attention by swiping a gust of wind with her wing. 'Pay attention, both of you.' She picked up the scroll she'd discarded before. 'I'm going to be assessing each of four techniques, and I'm going to provide you with a scroll summarising what needs work.' She subtly directed them to face the dummies with a twirl of her claw. 'The four techniques will be breath streaming, fire missiles, bomb, and dash. The individual elements being marked are power, focus and control. The four grades are unsatisfactory, average, satisfactory, and exceeds.' Sion scratched his horn worriedly as he listened, dumbfounded. 'Now, for me to leave your training unsupervised, between the two of you, you will need to obtain an "exceeds" grade for the four categories. On your summary scrolls, I'll provide detailed explanations as to how I arrived at each grade. Make my life a bit easier and do this the first time, alright? At least for one technique so I don't have to teach you from scratch.'

Solaris nodded rigidly, but Spyro couldn't help but grin. _Talk about a lazy teacher..._

'Do this one at a time, too. I don't need my analyses hindered by compounding factors.'

The two students glanced at each other for a moment, and Solaris stepped forward. Areth nodded with approval, shooing Spyro away with her wing towards the corner, whilst beckoning Solaris forward with the other.  
'As you demonstrate each ability, I'll apply each grade to various elements of your technique.' She paused for a moment, feeding the conduit with fire magic, and a dozen grublins dummies rose up to shuffle towards the blue dragoness. 'Normal breath attack. Go.'

Solaris shifted around to test the dummies' movement, and found she could control their direction; not that it made it any easier to avoid their swift movements. She twisted and turned until the dummies were clustered together, projecting her flames in two short, timed bursts, incinerating all of them – but not before they clawed the scales on her front legs.

Areth mumbled to herself for a few moments before raising her voice. 'Power: exceeds. Focus: exceeds. Control: unsatisfactory.'

'What.'

Areth barely registered the objection as she looked up. 'You were using ridiculously high temperatures for simple grublins. Surely you'd know they aren't worth the effort? Save the extreme temperatures for enemies who resist heat better than those insects. This is in my report, anyway, so I'd refrain from asking again.'

Solaris groaned to herself briefly, but was ready for the next round. Areth projected her magic again, moving the destroyed dummies back to their starting positions.

The other three techniques she tested had similar results; Solaris demonstrated consistent accuracy and power, even while being attacked by the dummies, but she could never limit her output by enough to get more than "average" with control.

Spyro, on the other hand, excelled with it. While his techniques were not as powerful or accurate, he could intensify his fire breath to the correct temperature, depending on whether the dummy was an Ape, Grublin, or Orc.

If Areth was pleased at the result, she didn't show it as she handed them both rolled-up scrolls; each containing her observations on all the tested abilities.

'Well, that went well. Given your results, I would say that you teaching each other will be sufficient for your training.' She packed up the rest of her supplies in a basket and picked it up with her mouth, as the two students studied their own scrolls in detail. 'Though you are both still welcome to borrow more reference material,' she muttered through her teeth. The three Guardians above simply sighed as she flew out in a hurry, causing a small gust to run around the large room and rustle a few leatherbark sheets.

'How unfortunate–' Volteer surmised to himself, 'that she cannot understand the art of teaching. Nor the responsibility entrusted to us.' He smiled down at the two young dragons. 'Ah well... it's better than nothing. It's just regrettable that Ignitus couldn't be here with us; I'm sure he would have given you both the attention you deserve.'

Spyro nodded slowly, but given Volteer's wing movements, he guessed he was going to be tested on Electricity next. He looked up in surprise, however, when Sion jumped down after Volteer and approached him.

'Volteer, sir? Can I try after Spyro?'

Solaris snorted derisively from above before the Guardian could answer. 'Really? Like we have time to waste on that.'

While Terrador frowned across the room at her, Cyril slowly bowed his head. 'I'm inclined to agree. Young chap, if you still haven't discovered your affinity, I suggest you find it in your own time.'

'Now Cyril!' Volteer examined the young drake sympathetically. 'Surely we can spare a moment for him? Perhaps watching Spyro may stir his dormant Electric affinity!'

'And, mostly likely, nothing will happen...' Cyril sighed reluctantly as he glanced at Terrador. 'Very well. But be quick about it.'

Terrador glanced around the room, directing Spyro to his position below. 'Spyro, show Volteer how your Electricity has progressed.'

Spyro found the electric stream and missiles simple enough to demonstrate, but he was incredibly rusty with his orbs. That didn't deter Sion from watching the golden spheres in amazement as they worked for half an hour, until Spyro could successfully detonate a small orb to strike a cluster of Orc dummies.

Spyro was glad to step aside for a moment as Volteer watched Sion expectantly, the young drake's limbs trembling ever so slightly under all the eyes watching.

Volteer activated a few grublins dummies at short range, which shuffled towards Sion, but didn't attack. Sion inhaled and then opened his jaw, but nothing came out.

He frowned, and tried again, only to flinch at a sharp, low growl that echoed around the arena.

'_Hrr_. Like I said, degenerate.'

Solaris groaned audibly as the old Ice dragon strode through the entrance once again. Cyril cleared his throat uncomfortably as Shadros stopped to eye the two drakes on the arena floor.

'Shadros. I presume you wish to join us? Ahem... fortunately, we have assessed Spyro's Ice abilities as of yet. Feel free to take the opposite platform.'

Sion remained staring back at the old dragon, while Spyro prepared for Volteer's next instructions.

'I do apologise, Sion, but you'll need to step back, and clear the arena! Spyro, I'm going to activate some more targets for your fury attack...'

'Volteer!' Terrador boomed, 'did you already forget there are others in the building?!' Sion, Alaia and Cynder sniggered as the Electric Guardian's eyes widened. 'Who knows how powerful that attack will be?' He sighed with slight disappointment. 'I would want to see it too, but that would take preparation, as well as a very isolated training area.'

'Hmm...' Volteer twitched his wings awkwardly as he scratched under his muzzle. 'Very well, Terrador. I suppose it's your turn now.'

Nadina stretched her body enthusiastically as she prepared to leap down. 'Now... this should be interesting.'

'What do you mean, my dear?'

She smiled knowingly in answer to the Electric Guardian. 'Well, after the hunt, you could say I want to see the results.' She pointed her head sideways at the other young dragons up on the platform beside her. 'Cynder, Alaia, you should join us for this one.' She glanced at Solaris uncertainly, who shrugged.

'I suppose I'll be leaving now. If all that's left is Earth, Wind and Ice, then there's not much point in staying.' The blue dragoness dived off the platform and glided down to land at the entrance. 'I'll be at the library if anyone wants to give me worthwhilenews.'

She spared one venomous look up at Shadros before trotting across the courtyard beyond, while Nadina and Terrador joined the youngsters on the arena floor.

The earth guardian glanced over at Sion, who was still residing in the corner. 'Sion, do you wish to join us for Earth and Wind training?'

The young drake nodded nervously, sparing a sidelong glance at Cynder. 'I was hoping to learn anything I could, even if it wasn't really magic. Cynder said I might be able to use wind techniques to help me with my fighting style, so I'd like to try that, it that's OK?'

Terrador and Nadina nodded in united approval.

'A good mindset, young warrior – always keep your mind open to possibilities.' Terrador raised his head to address the group. 'Earth and Wind, as elements, may appear polar opposites in how they work. However, they share one important focus. For instance, where an Earth dragon stands their ground and moves their opponent–'

'-A Wind dragon would let the opponent have follow through, and use it against them.' The group's attention diverted to Nadina. 'Both techniques have their time and place, but they both manipulate the battlefield to the user's advantage. That's why both Wind and Earth dragons are best at supporting their comrades on the battlefield. But...' – her gaze fell sadly – 'let's not broach that subject.'

Terrador rumbled sympathetically before he continued. 'Spyro, I apologise for my curiosity... but would you be able to launch an earth missile at the target I activate?'

Spyro raised a brow curiously, but nodded as Terrador projected his energy through the electric conduit to assemble an Orc dummy. It stood perfectly still, and Spyro managed to condense Earth magic in front of his jaw rapidly and shatter it with a high-speed projectile.

'Now, Spyro,' Nadina began, 'how would you say that felt? In comparison to your travels before defeating Malefor, I mean.'

Spyro frowned thoughtfully before answering. 'Well... that did feel a lot easier than before. And the missile travelled faster than I expected, too.'

The two adults glanced at each other, smiling. 'Yes, that often happens...' Terrador's eyes twinkled, 'for any who pass the test. Do you remember what I said to you when I first taught the Earth element to you?'

'I think you said, uh...' Spyro clasped his chin with his claw.

_**The power to harness the soil, the wind, the world itself, is now within your grasp...**_

Terrador nodded swiftly without Spyro even saying anything. 'Indeed. Since you understood our relationship with the land so well, you now understand how to better channel Tythanis' power. You should find that your Earth abilities drain less of your energy, and they will naturally move faster or generate more force. Of course, to reach your maximum power, you'll need to wait as you age further. But...'

'-That's not what we're focusing on today.'

Spyro blinked to himself curiously, and tried to focus another projectile at the empty half of the arena. However, after a few seconds, he stopped and shrugged as everyone glanced at him questioningly.

'I was just... hoping that I could use wind again...'

Nadina smiled and nodded. 'I felt the same when my earth abilities began to wane. But, I believe the trade-off in power is worth it – you'll see what I mean.'

The dragoness glanced down at Cynder and Alaia appraisingly. 'I believe Spyro's earned a break for now, so I'll be assessing both of you in your wind affinity. Like Areth did, I'll give you both a turn, but it will be quite a bit simpler. There's not many wind techniques to teach, as the simple breath or gust can be manipulated in so many different ways.' She glanced between them expectantly. 'Who would like to go first?'

Cynder nodded encouragingly to young olive dragoness, who stepped forward cautiously. 'I'll go, Nadina.'

'Good.' She shot the males a warning look. 'The rest of you, get back up to those platforms. You'll probably get hit by one of those dolls if you don't.' Her gaze softened. 'That includes you, Terrador.'

The Earth Guardian opened his jaw in surprise. 'Oh... Yes, of course.'

Sion grinned up at the distracted Guardian as he followed the drakes up to their platform.

'Now, Alaia... do you have an idea of what you'll be doing?'

'Well, I've been training a bit with Cynder, but the only things I can think of are a straight gust or an arcing current of some sort.'

Nadina nodded. 'That covers most of how wind works, actually. The only other thing is to learn how to project wind from your body apart from your mouth, but that's an advanced technique. For now, I'll activate two dummies at a time, and I want you to blow one into the other.'

'Okay...'

Cynder and Alaia took their turns to demonstrate their prowess, with Nadina mixing it up by introducing more enemies to harry them as they picked their targets. Sion – at least when he kept focused – picked up on some of their movements and studied the way the dragonesses weaved through the small mobs of dummies without getting surrounded.

Cynder, like Solaris, had much stronger gusts that often overshot her targets, leaving her more exhausted than Alaia. This was due to the olive dragoness having more experience using her wind breath – which they'd both found out during their practice beforehand. However, Cynder destroyed her targets faster – though not being able to use physical attacks was still quite a hindrance. After an hour or so of dodging, weaving and blowing dummies to shatter against walls, both dragonesses stood next to each other, tired but satisfied – a feeling shared by their teacher.

'A good start,' Nadina advised, 'If you both keep practicing in this manner, it will become very difficult for an enemy to land a blow. Just remember, you can always ask me or a Guardian to activate these dolls – their use requires a certain precision for wind training.'

She eyed the drakes above expectantly, gesturing to Terrador and Spyro to come back down. Spyro approached the two dragonesses as they dragged their claws along the floor, not quite ready to launch themselves back up to the platform overhead.

He simply smiled with approval at Cynder, and Alaia with fascination. 'Now I really wish I could use wind... Alaia, how many battles have you been in? I didn't expect you to be that good.'

'Only... a few...' She chuckled with embarrassment. 'I only fought when I had to, mainly, to buy the others time to get away. Usually if we can take to the air, the grublins can't catch us. I suppose I've had a lot of practice with avoiding enemies, rather than fighting them.' She smiled sidelong at the black dragoness. 'Cynder's really good at both...'

Spyro turned to gaze at Cynder in a similarly impressed manner. 'Is that where you went yesterday? Together?' His muzzle twitched with approval. 'I think your gusts were more... focused, than before, Cynder. And you only trained for a couple of hours...'

Terrador and Nadina cleared their throats in unison, spurring Spyro to join Terrador while the dragonesses finally flew up to the platform to join Nadina overhead. The other dragons remained where they had been for the past hour, watching patiently.

The Earth Guardian caught Spyro's tired gaze lingering on Cyril and Shadros above, who were eyeing the purple drake with firm expectancy. He stepped and rumbled gently.

'I think, young warrior, we're both hoping the next stage will go easier for you. From what I've seen, I'm confident you'll do well for what comes next.'

Terrador didn't say another word as he turned towards the other side of the arena, striding silently along as all eyes followed him. He stood on the other half and faced Spyro calmly, but the air was stifled as the Guardian stared him down, and Spyro braced himself, lowering his head as his muscles tightened up.

Then, Spyro picked up a shift in Terrador's mind, just as the Guardian lowered his head and shot a green missile with unexpected speed, but Spyro was able to stop it in mid-air with his own.

'Terrador!' Nadina objected, shock coating her voice. 'Is this what you call training? As strong as Spyro is, attacking him like that...'

'Relax,' Terrador rumbled gently. 'I limited the power so it wouldn't harm him... too much. But you need to realise that we cannot hold back – student and teacher alike – otherwise little would be gained. You should have seen last week's session.'

Nadina frowned to herself for a moment, and Shadros cut in with a sharp thrum. 'He's right, young dragoness. In my day, we would have grilled our young dragons to a razor-sharp point, where they would be experts in magic by the time they came of age. If only the same could have been said for the next generation...' He sighed sadly, but his face remained hard. 'Also, keep in mind...' He narrowed his eyes at her from across the stone pit, 'that you have been running and hiding while others have stood and fought. Do not presume you know what's best for the next of kin.'

Nadina fell silent, and Terrador glanced at her sympathetically before returning his attention to the bewildered Spyro.

'I apologise, young warrior – but I had a hunch you would stop that by reading my mind. In a way. Tell me, have you done something similar before today?'

Spyro opened his jaw slowly as he formed an answer.

_It doesn't really sound like I can lie about this... but saying it out loud sounds so invasive._

Spyro nodded slowly. 'I have, but it's not really reading minds, but reading...' He folded his tongue a couple of times.

'Emotions?'

Spyro raised a brow, and slowly nodded. 'That's a better way to put it, I guess.'

Terrador's green eyes glinted with approval. 'Interesting... Tell me, Spyro. Did you ever note a particular style with which Ignitus fought?'

Spyro felt a twinge of regret before he focused on what he remembered. He'd only ever witnessed Ignitus fighting several times against Apes, and then he went to rescue Cynder. Leaving Ignitus without any sign that he was even alive, for three years...

_Focus, Spyro._ He frowned thoughtfully under Terrador's gaze, thinking back to that clearing in the swamp. It only just occurred to him now, but Ignitus seemed to move with a limp on one forelimb... and yet even with his age and weak limb he still fought a dozen or so Apes without getting hit. On the lookout at the Temple, though, he had a lot less room to move – and thus suffered a few injuries.

'Ignitus... did he have a similar ability to this?'

Terrador nodded swiftly. 'Fire dragons seem to have a natural gift with this style of combat, though any can be trained. It was quite essential for us Earth dragons in training, especially – since we aren't the fastest dragons around. However, there is one problem,' – he glanced around at the collapsed dolls – 'you can only hone this ability against another mind.'

Spyro let his jaw drop a little, rolling over the possibilities in his head.

'Wait, Terrador – can you explain how it works? How can I use it in battle?'

'Isn't it obvious?' Terrador thrummed with amusement. 'Being able to detect a change in emotion will give you forewarning to any attack from an enemy possessing them. It's an alternative to the natural movements of a wind dragon. Though, on the subject of wind dragons, if one ever mastered this ability, they would be nearly impossible to hit with a physical attack.'

'Not to mention,' Volteer interjected excitedly, 'that dragons can share memories with each other in this way! Very helpful for verifying primary source–'

'Volteer!'

Alaia and Cynder raised intrigued eyelids, and glanced up behind them.

'Nadina?' Alaia asked. 'Do you have that ability?'

Nadina shook her head slowly. 'I did the training, but barely ended up using it in the end. The way I fight uses physical cues rather than emotional ones. In the end, it's up to each and every dragon to figure out which style suits them.'

Terrador nodded in agreement, his eyes lingering on the awestruck Sion above. 'Before you all let your imaginations run wild, be advised that this technique has a catch. Any enemy that doesn't have emotions, or has sufficient training to mask them, will not give you the same advantage. If you train yourself to rely on it, you may end up taking more hits than expected, which will put you in a worse position than before. Therefore, knowing the time and place to use it is just as important as mastering the ability.'

Spyro couldn't help but grin warmly. 'You know, Ignitus taught me something similar, when we first started all this...'

Terrador smiled back, before gazing longingly out the high rim window. 'You're not the only one he taught.' He cleared his throat. 'Let's begin. First, Spyro, can you use the Earth Shot?'

'I've tried, but it didn't seem to affect the Grublins very much; the missile seemed more effective. Plus I felt drained of magic not long after I tried using it.'

Terrador nodded to himself. 'Well, hopefully now your shots will be more focused. I can't say the same for your energy; that's why it is important to use it sparingly. However, it has saved my life on many occasions. It's the first thing we try to teach in Earth magic.'

Terrador lowered his head again, subtly inviting Spyro to do the same. 'The best way to train is by doing. Try and stop my missiles, Spyro, or even better – send it back.'

Spyro couldn't help but feel intimidated at the prospect of repelling Terrador's attacks, but at the same time knew he would learn faster this way, so he braced himself for the first volley.

Terrador kept his first missiles slow moving as Spyro's first shots fluctuated, emanating in green waves blasted from his jaw. But after a few tries, the distinct oval cone blast manifested and Spyro was able to stop them reliably, and the magical feedback from the electric orb allowed him to fire off as many as he wanted – though Terrador visibly frowned when he did this.

After twenty minutes or so, Terrador stood up straight, with Spyro letting his muscles loosen. He quickly noticed his neck ached a little from holding his head in place for so long.

'The second, and last thing we will go through, is the Earth Missile. You've already shown me one, Spyro, so I'll let you practice on your own for a while. Perhaps we should all take a break as well?'

Sion groaned in disappointment, but everyone else glided down and filed out without complaint. Cyril was the last to file out, glancing back at Terrador quizzically – the Earth Guardian remaining by the entrance – but he sighed and left regardless.

Spyro glanced between the unmoving Guardian and the entrance a couple of times. 'Uh... are you leaving or not?'

Terrador chuckled lightly. 'No, in fact. I have one other technique to teach.' He raised one brow to himself. 'Although, it's more of a trick than a technique. Here, let me show you how it's done. However – I suspect the moles won't be happy about this. They never are, when we dragons use their handiwork this way...'

Spyro followed him to the edge of the arena, and approached one section of the wall unmoved by the wall switches, and wide enough for an adult dragon's wingspan. Terrador glanced back at the conduit to check that it was still active, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes, reaching out with his palm towards the wall.

Spyro watched in amazement as the Guardian's claws were absorbed into the stone. The large dragon's paws shimmered with green energy, and he slowly placed all four feet on the wall and climbed it – albeit very slowly. Terrador stopped about halfway up the wall, his large muscles bulging as he struggled to remain in place, and his limbs soon began to tremble. After about five minutes, he let loose a tired growl and pushed himself off, landing heavily on the stone below, leaving clear marks in the stone.

'Terrador... that was amazing!' He exclaimed as he moved forward to examine the marks. Upon a closer look, it seemed like Terrador had shifted the stone to close around his feet to keep him in place. He frowned with concern as Terrador exhaled heavily. 'But... why did it tire you out so much?'

'Because... of my size...' Terrador took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. 'Directly manipulating stone like that is the most costly form of Earth Magic; shifting something already solid and external to ourselves. As dragons grow, their weight increases somewhat exponentially, while our raw power eventually can't keep up.' Terrador gazed down at him. 'That's why I call this a trick; it isn't useful in battle, and impractical to use without a source of magic, such as our conduit. However, it is an invaluable tool for training, which Earth dragons can use to sharpen both their mental focus and their bodies. You may notice that we Earth dragons are more...' His muzzle twitched, 'physically adept than the other elements, and this tool is the key to our strength. Of course, you will need to use it frequently. While we adults find it exceedingly difficult, it still has its uses to keep us in shape.' Spyro raised his brow, intrigued. 'If you want to train your body and mind without worrying about specific abilities, this will be your main method, at least until you mature fully.'

'That's... sounds very useful...' Spyro frowned. 'But I have no idea how to move stone like that.'

Terrador rumbled with amusement. 'All training has to start somewhere, Spyro. I realize you may be too exhausted for it today, but come and see me tomorrow and we'll see about getting you started.'

Spyro nodded enthusiastically; if he could become as strong as an Earth dragon, he would be able to engage enemies at close range more often, instead of relying on elements to keep them at a distance. This would especially come in handy with the larger ones like the trolls and giant Orcs.

He blinked as he remembered they were alone, glancing at the entrance curiously.

'Terrador, why did you get everyone else to leave? Is it some type of secret for the Earth dragons?'

Terrador shook his head confidently. 'It's no secret; the elements have been united for thousands of years. You are free to tell your peers, if you wish. The problem is that it takes an incredible amount of concentration; say if Sion was here, it'd likely be impossible for me to have gotten so far up the wall. Unfortunately, this will mean that training for you has to be alone or with very few participants. Though I recall a time when many young Earth Dragons could train silently in the same area without any trouble.'

The Earth Guardian fell silent for a moment, before he turned towards the entrance, gesturing for Spyro to move. 'You still want your break, don't you? I suspect both Cyril and Shadros will participate in your Ice training, so I suggest you get something to eat.' He frowned grimly for a moment, causing Spyro to gaze back worriedly. 'You'll need it; Ice dragons are not known for pulling punches.'

* * *

Spyro managed to catch up with Sion and Cynder, catching them hanging about the market stalls and the fountains. Spyro gulped down some water and stayed with them for a while, but mentioned Shadros may be training him. Cynder expected that, prompting her and Sion to head home early as their presence would probably be distracting, or worse detrimental to Spyro's training. As such, he bade them goodbye after twenty minutes, flying back up to the training dome alone.

As he approached the stone courtyard, he saw the three Guardians and Shadros in a circle, with serious scowls all around. He landed a distance away, and Cyril saw and gestured for him to come forward, but Spyro's presence didn't stop the discussion between the others.

'Shadros, I'll say it again; it is too early.' The Earth Guardian stipulated. 'He doesn't need that kind of pressure at his age; he needs more time to absorb what we've given him already.'

Shadros inclined his head respectfully, but was adamant on whatever they were talking about. 'I appreciate your concern for him, Terrador, but I was led to believe he was one of the best students in Volteer's class. Is that not correct, Volteer?'

'Oh, of course! He's still coming back for more, enthusiastic as ever. Along with Sol–'

'And do you believe he is capable of learning this now?'

'Well... honestly, yes I do. But I also perceive the other dragons will need consulting before–'

'I've already talked to the other elders, Volteer.' Shadros smiled to himself, while the Electric Guardian half-frowned. 'I'm not as slow as I look. Though, Vanah was a big help in organizing the audiences with them.'

He craned his neck towards Terrador one more time. 'I'm surprised you are against this, Terrador. Nadina gave her blessing; why shouldn't you?'

'I just think you're all too eager to thrust Spyro into a role that Malefor had already filled.'

A heavy silence fell on the four dragons, and Spyro cleared his throat, his stomach rolling with dread. Terrador was taken aback, looking away from the purple drake with regret.

'I apologise, Spyro. Perhaps I should let the others explain...'

'Indeed you should.' Cyril moved through the circle and approached Spyro. 'Terrador is concerned for your welfare, Spyro, but I'm erring to disagree. Any knowledge that could save your life – even with questionable origins – and we believe you should at least be presented with the opportunity to learn.'

Spyro tilted his head to glance at Terrador again. 'What kind of training would I not be ready for?'

Cyril and Shadros glanced at each other for a moment. They gave Terrador and Volteer stiff glances, prompting them to nod back in recognition and turn to take off towards the Grand Hall.

'I think we had better take this inside. Shadros, if you please?'

The old dragon pushed through the doors for them to follow; Spyro noticing many crumpled dummies set up around the still-active conduit. The two Ice dragons seemed to ignore them and focus all of their attention on him as they stood near the centre.

Cyril spoke first, making a few side glances at Shadros. 'Spyro, before we present this knowledge to you, it's perfectly reasonable if you don't want to know right now. Terrador's concerns were valid, after all.'

'Okay, what's going on?' Spyro asked sharply. 'If this is just training, why would it make Terrador so concerned? Is it an Ice technique?'

Shadros inclined his head in answer. 'Yes, young one. However, we do need your consent to say any more than that.'

Spyro glanced between them both suspiciously, but slowly formed an answer in his head as it came out of his mouth.

'Cyril, you said it could save my life. Well, if that's true, then it can save others', too. So...' He exhaled. 'I want to know.'

Cyril and Shadros nodded with approval, and the old dragon rustled his wings restlessly.

'It is an old technique – forbidden, even. One which I invented myself.'

Before Spyro could say anything, Shadros raised his right claw up and forward, drawing Spyro's attention to it. His eyes widened as he saw the scaly blue flesh run up and down each claw – in random, jagged patterns with obvious scarring; as if a sword had cut right up the claw into the flesh in a deliberate motion many times. He clenched his teeth as his stomach churned at the sight.

'What... what is that?'

'The cost,' Cyril interjected warningly. 'You'd better stand back.'

Then, without warning, three icicles erupted from the old dragons' claws in a clean, surgical stabbing motion, without the old dragon moving a muscle. Spyro backed away for a second, but soon examined the icicles curiously. The three spears were perfectly uniform, and looked sharp enough to penetrate metal, though Spyro doubted that they could. Still, they looked remarkable tough for ice; it was likely their hardness was enhanced with magic.

_In that sense, maybe they can pierce metal..._

Cyril's eyes glinted expectantly. 'I can see your questions in your eyes already, Spyro. Feel free; ask away.'

Spyro immediately voiced the one that stood out in his mind, amidst the pool of all others rolling about in his head.

'Why is this forbidden?'

Shadros dispelled the magic, the three spears detaching from his claw for a split second before shattering, the magic absorbed back into the conduit.

'I created this to help our warriors in melee combat. We, who were once so reliant on ranged attacks, that we became weak and inexperienced when forced into it. It took many years for me to master it myself, and you saw the price I had to pay.' He glanced down at him claw mournfully. 'When the ice doesn't dissipate or is projected in the wrong direction, it can backfire.

'Well, nearly all Ice dragons were trained to use it, and for a time, it earned us a reprieve as we drove the Apes back to the point where the surviving creatures went into hiding. And after that, our attention diverted back to our own affairs. Unfortunately, using this technique, and soaking in the blood of our enemies... it changed many of us. Or perhaps, some despicable characters were brought to the surface – who knows for sure.'

'Did it change you?'

Shadros didn't return Spyro's gaze, moving the story right along.

'The most valiant of warriors soon became arrogant tyrants, protesting, sometimes violently, in disputes with other dragons – especially when it came to mating. It shames me so, but some dragons were killed in these disputes, sometimes right in their homes – because the Ice blade allowed them to kill so easily. After the first few murders, all of them were found out, tried, and exiled. One or two even chose to fight and die after that, when encountering their old enemies. The Ice blade has been forbidden ever since.'

Spyro frowned sadly for a moment, before his next question came up.

'Why do you trust me with this?'

Cyril cleared his throat hesitantly. 'Shadros and I both believe that the Ice blade was taught too quickly, without hesitation, out of desperation during wartime. Each dragon wasn't tested appropriately before giving them the knowledge. However – it's different with you.'

Shadros nodded in agreement as he continued. 'I've talked to the other elders about you, along with other prominent representatives of each element.'

'What about the moles and cheetahs?' Spyro asked. 'Don't they need to know?'

Cyril frowned to himself, as Shadros snorted dismissively. 'They are not dragons; this knowledge and its use do not concern them.'

'Shadros...' Cyril muttered with annoyance, 'they will know. And some won't be happy. Prowlus, for instance.'

'Why? This knowledge could save his life.'

Cyril turned to him, growling impatiently. 'I know; but you must admit, this is repeating history, in a way.'

'...Cyril, I will not let this knowledge die with me.' Shadros shook his head mournfully. 'I need you to understand that.'

Cyril's expression softened somewhat, and after a moment, backed away, inviting Shadros to continue.

'I heard mention of you and the hunting trial, Spyro, and you passed... correct?'

'That's what I've been told.'

Shadros examined him with approval. 'And from what I've heard already, your first thought for how to use this is to protect others, and not just your own life. I don't believe I've met a young dragon quite like that in all my years. I believe you can be trusted, and so do most of the other races.' His eyes fell a little. 'With the exception of the Star dragons and Shadow dragons... If only someone like you had come along sooner...'

Spyro immediately frowned as his thoughts returned to Cynder and her reception at the landing platform. 'Then what was with that look you gave Cynder? Worse, when you found her and Sion at the water fountains...'

'Spyro.'

Cyril's warning calmed him down a little, but his doubts remained. Shadros narrowed his eyes briefly. 'That... is another matter, Spyro, and unrelated to the Ice blade. Now, Cyril tells me he's seen enough of your abilities already. So we can start the training now, if you are ready.'

Spyro managed to beat down his suspicions, enough so that he could concentrate on the training at hand. But he wasn't done questioning Shadros, and knew he would have a few hours to do so, as it was still early in the afternoon, for the last training session of the day.

* * *

Cyril left them after testing Spyro's Ice stream ability, demonstrated through slowing and freezing multiple orc dummies in a fan pattern, keeping the translucent form liquid enough to stick, but solid enough to slow them down when clumped together. Cyril mentioned that Spyro would learn how to apply this to healing wounds in the future, but, like Terrador's training technique, would wait until another time.

Shadros then began instructing the basics in forming the Ice blade. Fundamentally, it came down to projecting Ice shards from the claws instead of the mouth, and stopping the ejection at just the right moment, applying the semi-liquid ice at the base to form the basic weapon. Spyro could form the blades quite well – he'd had similar experience with projecting fire from different parts of his body, and he'd used the shards extensively in his journey to defeat Malefor.

Even after a few hours, though, Spyro could only form basic shards shooting from his claws. While that was something, it defeated the purpose of the technique as he was far less accurate shooting the shards from claws as opposed to the jaw. Shadros didn't seem to mind; even without him around, Spyro would be able to master it on his own, eventually. Yet the old dragon offered to keep training him for the next few weeks, a few hours every afternoon. Spyro reluctantly agreed, though he knew that Cynder and Sion would probably worry about him.

It only took a few days for everyone to form a training schedule in a way that didn't interfere with each other. Spyro, Solaris and Cynder practiced on their own in the mornings; then Spyro and Sion participating in a long session with Terrador, and finally with Spyro's private lesson with Shadros. Sion managed to attempt similar training to Spyro's, due to Terrador creating clawholds in the walls, allowing the bronze drake to train in his own way. To Spyro's understanding, Nadina taught Cynder and Alaia outside the city amongst Spirit gems in the wilderness, changing their destination based on where the air currents were the strongest.

Spyro immediately threw himself into training, as his desire to learn, compounded with the possibility of Malefor returning, spurred him forward. Yet, he carried a nagging doubt in his mind, not so much to do with the training – he very much enjoyed most of it – but the manner in which Shadros taught him. He was kind, patient and effective, and it bothered him. It felt wrong in that Shadros visibly spurned most of his generation – but focused, almost doted on him as a student. There was something deeper there, but Spyro's found it difficult to even question him on Cynder, of all things. Whenever he brought the subject up, Shadros stiffened and would not speak about it, forcing Spyro to continue with the training.

On the third training session, Spyro finally managed to attach one spear – before it promptly fell off.

'Good, Spyro. It might not seem like much, but even if you successfully attach one, that's a significant step forward. The most important aspect of the Ice blade is controlling the thrust, as it would be terrible for you to receive the injuries I did, so early in your life.'

Shadros had forbidden the use of dummies until he could confirm that it was safe, and to do that, the amount of energy put into the spear would have to be just right. Too much, and it would shoot through an enemy; too little, and he risked losing a digit.

Spyro stared at his own, small digits, now understanding why Terrador was worried. An adult wouldn't suffer the same risk as an adolescent... but danger rarely deterred him before. He examined Shadros' right forepaw again.

'What exactly happened with that?' He asked. 'Could you still fight?'

'Not as well, no.' The Ice dragon attempted to move his digits in different directions, but the digits remained still. 'I had to use my left for all my blades, with this one slowly healing over time. For some reason, no amount of magic from any crystal would heal it.'

He eyed Spyro's small paws for a moment, examining the dummies around them with interest. 'I suppose I should show you a physical example before you can try it safely. Observe.'

With only the slightest movements from the old dragon, the electric conduit glowed briefly, before a large Orc dummy slow assembled with a series of metallic clicks and rustling straw. Spyro watched as the dummy turned towards the ancient dragon beside him, pointing its head down and rushing forward with surprising speed. For a moment, Spyro was worried it would harm the old dragon, but quickly told himself said dragon was controlling it.

Shadros raised his left claw, the frozen spears erupting at just the right moment, impaling the dummy's thin body and head with clean precision; the force of which pushed it back a couple of inches. Even though it was a dummy, Spyro flinched – it still looked painful.

The spears quickly detached from Shadros' claw as the dummy crumpled, the ice shattering into blue energy, flowing back into the conduit.

Shadros then circled around, coiling his tail to sit down, as he prepared to watch Spyro as the young drake practiced against thin air – again and again. That the old dragon would be willing to sit there for a further three weeks still baffled Spyro.

Finally, he worked up the courage to ask more, though his stomach churned at what he would find out.

'Why are you helping me, Shadros?' he asked quietly as the Ice dragon watched. 'You barely know me, and just talking to other people wouldn't be enough to do all this for me. I mean, Areth left on the first day...'

'Would it surprise you if I said I had nothing better to do?'

Spyro raised his brow; he _was _surprised. 'Weren't you in charge of the Ice dragons? Don't they come to you like everyone in Warfang goes to the Guardians about their problems?'

Shadros thrummed a long, still note, his creased muzzle twitching with amusement. 'The Ice dragons long since stopped relying on me for anything. I could never remember anything useful, anything recent; Vanah handled that sort of thing. Yes, my people respect me, but my knowledge of war and forbidden techniques don't amount to much, nowadays.'

Spyro glanced away thoughtfully. Shadros wanting to pass on his knowledge at least made sense – but then, why did his instincts say there was more?

Shadros chuckled slowly as he watched the purple drake. 'You are too curious for your own good, young one. Are you using that mind-reading ability on me?'

Spyro opened his jaw apologetically. 'No! I'm... uh, sorry, I didn't mean to–'

He fell silent as Shadros waved a wing dismissively. 'There's no need to apologise, Spyro. You're not wrong, after all... though to be honest, you would be better off not knowing more about me.'

Spyro quickly frowned. He knew that if he didn't know, it would distract throughout all their remaining training time – not to mention Cynder.

'I want to know, Shadros – for better or worse. And maybe you'll tell me what's going on with Cynder, too.' As Shadros gazed at him doubtfully, he shook his head. 'I can't just be ignorant anymore, Shadros. I was ignorant enough when I went out to save her, without a second thought as to the consequences.'

'Hmm... Then perhaps you'll understand. However...' Shadros' eyes were suddenly downcast, his whole posture slumping down into the ground. 'You want to know why I'm so trusting? You remind me... of _her_...'

'Who?'

'The purple dragon... before you.'

Spyro stared in amazement. _He really is an old dragon, then... Once every ten generations. Ten generations for dragons would be at least five hundred years._

'You knew her?'

Shadros managed a sad smile. 'Knew her? She and I were family. She just had to question _everything_, and wouldn't be satisfied until she knew what you were hiding from her. It was also difficult to control her...'

'What do you mean, "control"?'

Shadros glanced away, rolling over some fond memories in his head. 'She was a free spirit. She would have little to do with staying indoors all the time – and she much preferred to learn on her own without supervision. Except from me, in a few instances...'

The old dragon shook his head, grief creeping into his blue eyes. 'But I digress. Teaching you, at least for a while, will be my last gift before I die. Vanah insists I still have centuries left, but... I have my doubts.'

Spyro couldn't help but lower his brow sympathetically. 'I thought dragons could choose when they die – are you sick? Do you need any help?'

The old dragon only twitched his snout sideways this time. 'This is enough. But... there is something else, if you wish it.' Spyro fought the urge to back up as the Ice dragon stood up, gazing down at him intensely.

'What... what is it?'

'A memory... of Giletha.' He raised his brow slowly. 'If you would meet her.'

Spyro was speechless. If what Shadros proposed was real, then... the old dragon was offering to share a memory with him. Such a thing was only shared among the closest dragons. And yet, he barely knew this old dragon, who was offering something so personal...

_Just when I was beginning to figure him out, this happens... How can he trust me so much? But I haven't heard of Giletha at all, and I'm sure Solaris would have mentioned her if she read about it. If what he says is true... this is something I can't just dismiss._

'I... don't know what to say.'

Spyro shook his head a few times, more to himself than anything. Shadros watched him patiently, speaking carefully.

'I understand your hesitation. Sharing memories is a very personal thing, but I believe that you would benefit most from this. I'm...' He growled somberly. 'I'm aware of the dangers, but I can shield you from things you shouldn't see, especially at your age.'

'I...' Spyro gulped, 'I don't know if I can trust you with that...'

'Then you must ask yourself: is it worth the risk?'

_To see another purple dragon? No one's ever asked me that before..._

Spyro hesitated for another few moments, before finally nodding and raising his head.

'How... does it work? I've never done this before.'

Shadros bristled his wings as he raised his left claw stiffly, keeping the claws upturned away from his forehead, as the Ice dragon touched the back of his palm to Spyro's head.

'Be still, and don't be afraid...'

_Spyro felt his body jump, as if its weight was suddenly meaningless, lost in another space. The sensation was all too familiar – like the time when the Chronicler pulled him into that dream world. Unfortunately, when he opened his eyes, everything was jumbled and blurry, and so he attempted to concentrate on what he was supposed to be seeing._

I'm looking... for a purple dragoness... somewhere...

_The colours of the warm stone around him gradually shifted, forming a vision of an open area. There was a tall, verdant hill, filled with patches of flowers at its base, with a small, but sturdy wall surrounding it – presumably the edge of a dragon village. A sturdy tower stood high to the far left of the hill, and a purple figure was standing atop the green mass._

_Spyro squinted at her, but even with most of the picture in front of him, it was difficult to make her out. At first glance, her body shape reminded him of a wind dragon; yet she had feathery frills running thinly down the back of her neck, and down her flank. She had four elegant horns rising up like a crown. That, combined with her colour, reminded him of some of the wiser matriarchs he'd read about._

_It only just became apparent that she was aiming her snout upwards into the sky – then, without warning, she blew a large cone of fire upwards, smiling proudly at the shape she had made. She then frowned again, lowering her head slightly, shooting long, clean Icicles over the wall, aiming carefully to avoid hitting anything out of her field of vision. _

_She repeated this pattern until suddenly, nothing came out. She frowned and opened her mouth again, but got the same result._

'_Trying to use the Earth Shot again?'_

_She sighed and bowed her head, a smile belying her frustration._

'_I don't need you to tell me I can't do it, Rossy.'_

'_And I don't need _you_ to call me that.'_

_A younger, more vibrant Ice dragon soon joined her on the hill, both just watching the still, clear sky. _

'_It's nothing to be ashamed of. All Earth and Wind dragons go through it at some point. Not to mention it's been... how many years?'_

'_I assume you have some first-claw experience, mister I-Know-Everything?'_

_The young Ice dragon chuckled smugly. 'Technically, it's I-Know-Everything-About-Ice.'_

'_Hmm...' She smiled and faced him invitingly. 'It's hard to argue with that.'_

_Shadros gulped and couldn't help but glance away. 'I... uh... I was just about to start my next class. I was... wondering if you'd like to help me with the lesson.'_

'_Really? Me? The Expert-on-Ice needs _me_?'_

'_Well, you are... an expert too...'_

_She laughed as she turned away again. 'Saying that had to hurt.'_

'_Heh...more than you know.' Giletha didn't move as he smiled to himself. 'We'll be in the training hall, should you decide to join us.'_

'_Thanks, Rossy, but I'm itching for a flight pretty soon.'_

_Shadros sighed fondly as he pulled away from her, leaving her alone at the top of the hill once again._

_Giletha watched as the clouds sped up overhead; signalling the high winds speeding up. After a minute, Giletha sniffed the air, her brow creasing into a worried frown. Spyro felt it too – a shift in the wind, not so much a smell, but the energy. It felt... wrong, somehow, like something alien had entered the high currents in the sky._

_Her regal wings tensed with anticipation, and she hunched her limbs for takeoff. She gave a long look back in Shadros' direction, but she huffed to herself and launched herself over the wall, in the direction of the energy source... reaching out with her mind as she flew._

Spyro's vision swirled violently, his body suddenly tensing as he dropped, his body and mind being pulled in another direction. Quickly realising it was Shadros, he tried to let himself go, but his curiosity held him back ever so slightly.

Before the sensation threatened to overwhelm him, he felt his cheek pressing against cool stone down below. His head spun as he pushed himself up, swaying as he pressed a palm to his forehead.

'Ugh... what happened?'

Shadros lowered his wings and bowed his head to examine him with concern. 'I had to pull you out. What happened after that... It would be better for you not to see it.'

'What did happen?'

He felt a pang of guilt for blurting that one out, as Shadros growled low, throaty and miserable. 'You should think twice before asking a question like that. The knowledge... not all knowledge is useful. At my age, there are so many things that stick with me, when I'd be better off forgetting all of them.'

'I... know,' Spyro began, 'but like this' – he raised his claw – 'it might save my life one day. Even if it hurts to know, I still want to hear it.' He lowered his head remorsefully. 'I'm sorry; it may be more difficult for you to remember.'

The ancient Ice dragon frowned to himself thoughtfully as he raised his head. 'You speak the truth. You recall that village where we were standing?' Spyro nodded. 'It was razed not long after that, when the war came to us in earnest. But as to what happened to Giletha... She went in to save an underground colony of moles. She was always a bit soft when it came to those rodents.'

Shadros turned away, bowing his head and closing his eyes. 'She succeeded in getting the survivors out and under our protection, holding... something, off, before it killed any more of them. I only heard faint sounds of her battling it, but by the time I found her...'

He hissed to himself loudly, making Spyro back up for a moment before he continued. 'I couldn't even recognise her. She was just... a husk of her former self. I...' He shook his head in disbelief. 'I pray you never find out what that is like, Spyro. Something so bright and full of life, just... gone. Snuffed out like a candle. Worse, whatever had done this was nowhere to be found. After a week of searching, my comrades abandoned me, and I spent another month in those tunnels, searching everywhere.' His claws trembled. 'But there was nothing. Nothing to avenge her... even after five hundred years, I have nothing...'

Spyro opened his jaw, but held his tongue. Even if the creature was an Elraith, an adult purple dragon should have had no trouble, if nothing else, escaping and getting help. And even if he told this old dragon, what good would come of it? He was too old to hunt these creatures; he would most likely die if he sought them out. Worse, if he sent others to do it for him...

Tears began dripping from the old dragon's snout, and Spyro nearly reached forward, but words lost him. After a minute or two, Shadros shook his head slowly, in an attempt to rid himself of the tears.

'I'm... sorry, but I must be excused. I may see you... tomorrow...'

Spyro didn't say anything as the old dragon dragged his already stiff body out the entrance. Trying to take his mind off what had transpired, he attempted to raise himself on his hind legs, trying to project Ice blades alternately on each claw. For some reason, his limbs felt weak, and they trembled without provocation, and makeshift spears shattered onto the stone floor more often than not.

_It's useless – I can't concentrate. I understand Shadros not wanting to show me what happened to Giletha, but what if I ever fight that thing too? Well, I pray that I don't go off alone like she did..._

He shook himself and shivered, now detecting a sharp chill flowing through the darkening room. He headed home not long after that, and managed to recount a shorter version of what transpired to Cynder and Sparx, but after a couple of long, awkward pauses, Spyro excused himself to his room. He didn't want to worry Cynder about something he speculated, and Sparx's reaction would only make it worse.

He shifted in the middle of his massive bed, turning about and trying to get comfortable, but the otherwise soothing breeze from his upper window made him shiver again. His eyes kept darting out towards the openings, glimpsing a clouded night sky. Normally, staring at it brought him a sense of peace, but now...

Now he kept seeing a pair of eyes.

_What is wrong with me? Get a grip, Spyro. _He attempted to rationalize his fear away, though the nagging thought that an adult purple dragon didn't stand a chance kept coming back to sting him.

_Hmm... she was able to sense it, though... If I can do the same, then I'll at least have time to prepare._

He sighed heavily, mentally berating himself enough to drop his eyelids, as he still had extensive plans tomorrow for his own training. He managed to doze off, trying to form a picture of perfect Ice blades in his claws...

* * *

_The enormous Ape fell, still gurgling from the spear shoved through his throat. Another replaced him, immediately lunging forward with a heavy broadsword, but Spyro ducked his head to the side, twisting his neck to bite down on his arm, icicle spears erupting from his left claw into the ape's head, letting the body crumple to the ground as he released it._

I'm not here for _them. He raised his head frantically._ Raina... where are you?

_His vision fanned out far above the dusty ground to survey the landscape. There was a low cloud of billowing dirt obscuring his vision, but he could already see too much. The plain smelled of dirt, blood and metal, the sounds of howls, roaring and clashing echoing in the distance._

_He pulled his eyes away, searching for one particular survivor. Most of the pod was putting up a fight, but the apes' numbers were endless. _

_He quickly drew a path, running along a slight depression, which would attract some of the apes' attention, but not enough to get him surrounded – and he pushed his aching limbs forward, ignoring his aching joints._

_He cut his way through, felling or freezing any ape that stood in his way, though he accumulated several scrapes and bruises due to sluggishness in his old age. He growled with frustration; another reminder that he wasn't the fighter he used to be._

'_Shadros!' _

_He turned his head worriedly, a familiar figure approaching him while simultaneously fighting off the apes attempting to tear him apart. They tore through the creatures until they could stand face to face._

_The young Ice dragon already looked exhausted, and one wing was drooping uselessly with a massive gash down its middle. He pointed his good wing to the west with all the strength he could spare at that moment, his breath cutting in rugged gasps._

'_Tyfaen? What happened?'_

'_Shadros... you need to find... Raina. We got word that–'_

_A sharp wail pierced their eardrums; both of them looked up into the clouded sun as a foreboding shape approached. Within what felt like moments, a large red orb was heading for them. _

_They blasted the orb back, but the force came down on them regardless. Tyfaen crumpled to the ground, but Shadros' limbs trembled as he remained standing. The black dragon screeched at them, but only lashed out with her tail while passing overhead. For some, she seemed to be ignoring the battle below..._

_Tyfaen managed to raise his head, still pointing in the direction he was pointing at before. 'Shadros... go...'_

_They looked each other in the eyes for a moment, both knowing what would likely happen. _

You were always worthy of her, weren't you...

_He shook his head grimly before taking off after Cynder, knowing very well that he couldn't keep up with her. He also knew that the most of the pod was in no position to help... given the amount of limp, battered bodies he'd spotted on the way._

_He pushed his huge wings to flap repeatedly, the heavy air making it difficult to breathe, and the dust making it hard to see ahead. He could still hear the black dragoness's wailing, and following it was the only way he could continue forward._

_He shot down a few waves of ice to assist his comrades with their fight, but the battle was turning for the worst, with most surviving combatants making a retreat. Nearly all of them were in this state by the time he'd cleared the battlefield. Then he spotted one figure that immediately flared anger in his chest, his muzzle instinctively twitching in barely contained anger._

'_Dairmus...'_

_Several visceral images flashed through his head as he eyed the burly Ice dragon, but his thoughts looped back to his daughter as the smell of blood left the wind._

_Cynder's wail's then drew closer – and a stifled relief lightened his back muscles as he pushed himself just a bit farther. But it was soon replaced with horror as he saw Cynder battering a small group of dragons with her wings and explosive orbs, them retaliating in blasting her with ice. As he approached desperately, he felt something within snap; like he'd been stabbed in the gut. He howled with pain, clutching his stomach, but most of the pain dissipated quickly before he neared the ground. He then spotted one of the dragons falling in the distance, blood gushing from their stomach..._

'_Raina!'_

_He dived forward, summoning all the energy he could, blasting Cynder with a large projectile aimed straight at her chest, stopping once to shower her with shards. She hissed in response, avoiding the massive Ice spear – a few shards piercing her wings and one in her thigh – before she turned to face the new threat. However, the other Ice dragons bombarded her with more shards, managing to freeze one of her wing joints. She fell a few feet before breaking free, but under the combined assault, she was forced to flee – still howling angrily as she went._

_He immediately dived down to the battered body of his daughter. He examined her morbidly; blood was running down her abdomen, the deepest wounds in her gut, just like he'd felt before..._

_Some of the other Ice dragons joined him, but kept their distance as he began to seal her wounds. After an hour of grim work, he leant back on his haunches, not even knowing she would be safe with the nearby Ape army. And, something else still felt very wrong._

_He eyed the dragons around him for the first time, only now picking up on their miserable, even guilty, gazes._

'_Wh... what happened to...?!'_

_Many simply pointed their head back to where they had fought Cynder, and he hobbled forward to sift through the dirt. It wasn't long before he found what he was looking for; but it was too late, as he stared at the tiny, lightly coloured objects among the dank rubble._

_His limbs trembled as he picked up the tiny object. It was cracked, with translucent liquid spilling out, and a limp, pale creature settled within – perfectly still, barely looking like more than a pale lizard. Everything was half-formed, and the limbs looked deformed as they'd contorted in different direction on impact. He shook his head to himself, bile rising in his gut._

_It almost looked peaceful... except for the cold dead eyes, wide open, staring into him, incapable of wavering in their focus._

You couldn't save us... you couldn't save _anyone_.


End file.
